Latest News and Articles

Video Recap: NEC Classic Motor Show

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:41:00 -0500

The NEC Classic Motor Show is a must-attend event for British car enthusiasts. Hagerty was there to check out the 1,400 cars on display and a live taping of "Top Gear."

Reliving the glory days

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:30:00 -0500

Autosport International show packs nine halls at the National Exhibition Center to celebrate 60 years of historic race and rally cars

Autosport International, The Racing Car Show, has expanded to fill almost half of the National Exhibition Centre south-east of Birmingham, kicking off on Thursday 12 January with two busy trade days before opening to the public over the weekend. Once you include the live action arena, the Autosport Engineering Show and the Pistonheads Show, nine halls were needed to showcase the UK’s massive world of motorsport.

Historic cars filled only a small part of that, but among the extreme wealth and glamour of the modern F1 cars, the karts and the specialist manufacturers, a significant historics area emphasised the importance of this still-growing section of the industry.

The Historic Sports Car Club celebrated 60 years of Formula 3 with a great line-up of a dozen single-seaters from the 500cc era to the present day, headed by Stirling Moss’s Kieft and a Cooper driven by Bernard Ecclestone. The Lotus Elan is 50 this year, and Club Lotus brought the most famous, the Ian Walker Racing 26R ‘Gold Bug,’ to celebrate, plus the 1957 prototype-in-restoration of its first single-seater, the front-engined 12 and an ex-Ayrton Senna 97T.

Elsewhere, a tribute to the Brazilian F1 star showcased some more of the cars that catapulted him to world fame, including the DAP kart that took him to runner-up in the 1980 Karting World Championship and the McLaren MP4 in which he crafted what many believe to be his greatest drive ever, winning the 1993 European GP at Donington in the rain.

Silverstone Classic took a large stand to promote its next event, July 20-22, which included a Cobra, MGB, F5000 McLaren, Mondeo Touring Car and Porsche 962, while Autoglym displayed the ’56 Reims 12-hour-winning D-type. John Surtees’ 1972 Japanese GP-winning TS10 was there, raising awareness of the Henry Surtees foundation, which benefits young people and those with brain and physical injuries.

Several companies showed beautiful new-build Mk2 Escort rally cars — there’s no let-up in demand for this near 40-year-old in historic events. Former rally driver Alec Poole’s Tour Britannia organisation launched Targa Britannia, to the same regularity/race format but for post-’75 cars and with the field limited to 35 so all cars can compete in the same races. The original pre-’75 Tour Britannia continues. A display of British rally heroes in Hall 8 included everything from Paddy Hopkirk’s ’64 Monte Mini to Colin McRae’s 2001 Rally of Cyprus-winning WRC Focus.
Another ex-McRae WRC Focus, the 2001 Acropolis winner, was on sale at Coys’ auction on Saturday: It didn’t sell, bidding short to £80,000, and top money went to the ‘Eleanor’ 1967 Shelby GT500, one of the film cars from the 2000 Touchstone Pictures remake of ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ starring Nicolas Cage, selling at £95,000.

The real highlight was the beautiful 1968 Ford F3L, the centrepiece of a clutch of Alan Mann Racing cars — Mustang, Mk1 Jag and MkIII Capri — all of which sold. The Len Bailey-designed sports-racer, designed to take over from the GT40, was unsuccessful in period, but Mann’s example has been resurrected in recent years and though not part of the auction is offered as a private treaty sale.

Steady As She Goes: British marques are strong at Scottsdale

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:30:00 -0500

Celebrity connections help Rolls-Royces in the U.S. but “Aunt Emilys” are a tough sell. The best Astons, Jaguars and Austin-Healeys stayed strong at Scottsdale, as records were set and overall sales jumped £15 million

The Arizona auctions provided their usual three-ring circus of entertainment in January 2012, and while there were fewer big-ticket cars this year (most having been grabbed for Monterey last summer), the total for the 2,000 cars, sold by six auction houses, still topped £116 million. That’s £15M more than 2011.

Barrett-Jackson led the way with 270,000 visitors and £58M from 13,222 cars, Gooding & Co registered £25M from 116 cars, RM netted £16M from 126 cars, Russo & Steele did £11.5M, newcomer Bonhams £4.3M, and Silver Auctions £1.85M, 20 miles away at Fort McDowell.

High sale was the alloy-bodied 1955 Gullwing Mercedes Benz at Gooding for £2.9M. Gooding also got £2.45M for a Ferrari 250GT LWB California Spyder, £1.66M for a 1930 Duesenberg Model J Disappearing Top convertible and £1.34M for a 1929 Bentley 4 ½-litre tourer. Over at Barrett-Jackson, one of 51 Tuckers more than doubled the previous high at £1.82M, while a 1947 Franay-bodied Bentley sold for £1.73M, and a twice-repainted steel 1954 Mercedes-Benz steel Gullwing, with a reported 4,314 miles, hammered down for £1.38M.

If you’re thinking of buying a muscle car, only the very best documented examples command prices anywhere near three or four years ago. Non-matching- number examples and phony “tributes” to high-horsepower cars are a dubious investment, no matter how much money was spent on them. However, they offer a lot of “bang for the buck,” if you can ignore all the tear stains on the upholstery.

So how did English cars do at Scottsdale this year? It’s hard to count the Franay Bentley, as it looks like a Delahaye with a Bentley grille grafted onto it, but it sold for more than £650,000 over its last appearance a couple of years ago. Gooding also doubled the going rate for a standard 4 ½-litre Bentley.

Bonhams had the most impressive English car there, but it was just a teaser for the Goodwood sale this summer. That was George Daniels’ ex-Tim Birkin single-seater, 4 ½-litre blower Bentley, one of five factory cars, still in its original dark red and possessor of a 137mph Brooklands Outer Circuit medal. Simon Kidston, who has his own direct family connection to the Bentley boys, was busy taking photographs and observed that with a two-seater body it might have brought as high as £6M, but he wasn’t sure how much the single seat would hurt it. Nonetheless it’s bound to be seen in competition very soon, once it gets some tires actually made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Most of the English cars for sale in Arizona gathered at the Bonhams, RM and Gooding tents and some patterns emerged. An obvious one is the strength of Series 1 E-Type Jaguar roadsters, a number of which sold for upwards of £65,000.
Aston Martin DB4s went as high as £229,000, and though there were no DB5s apparent, the DB6s seem to have finally hit their stride with the ex-Bing Crosby ’66 Vantage Coupe selling for £188,000 at Bonhams and a finer red ’68 Vantage coupe with air conditioning netting a surprising £308,000 at Gooding.

RM realized £102,375 for a very nice 1955 Austin Healey Factory 100M Le Mans, and Bonhams £72,135 for a 1956 BN2 Le Mans, though a similar Gooding car did not sell. One of the best buys of the week went to a patient bidder who waited until the end of the day Friday, as RM was coming down in pajamas carrying empty milk bottles, and with the cat under one arm, when he picked up a decent 1966 Austin Healey 3000 BJ8 for only £24,255.

The very best Jaguar XK120 OTS and coupes can still bring £100,000, but lesser examples may go for half that and drop head coupes have never been popular in a country where summers are more reliable than in the UK. XK150s also seem soft and few were on offer this year.

The best Rolls-Royces can bring good money, especially with celebrity connections — like Gooding’s ex-Sammy Davis Jr. 1963 Silver Cloud III DHC at £270,000, or Marlene Dietrich’s 1930 P1 Phaeton at £330,000 over at Bonhams. But a tired 1966 MPW Silver Cloud drophead coupe at Gooding only made it to £118,125 in black with a tan top, and the new owner has some work to do.

Old PI and PII’s seem like quite a bargain, at between £150K-£190K, considering the size and quality car you get, but the designs are often very conservative “Aunt Emilys.” Painting them in bright colors with chrome wire wheels is as garish as seeing your grandmother in a tutu. Nevertheless, some very sound examples exist in the U.S. and a well-informed buyer can prosper, if he doesn’t mind undoing some work.

Oddities included Gooding’s 1967 V-8 Trident Clipper at £24,948, and a 1957 Triumph TR3, which combined a very faded original interior with an ancient repaint, for an astonishing £37,422. The 1963 TR3B at RM seemed like a much happier deal at £19,050. Meanwhile, a 1930 Austin Seven special configured like an Ulster sold for £19,400, and no harm done at that. The most egregious Jaguar was a Mk V sedan, reconfigured as a landaulet, with rather distressing results. Nevertheless, it brought £36,380, but seems unlikely to be heading back to the UK, the scene of the crime.

Bond in Motion at Beaulieu

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:05:00 -0500

National Motor Museum assembles 50 vehicles from the 24 James Bond movies to celebrate the franchise’s golden anniversary on film – 007’s hot rides could drive, fly, or even swim

The Bond in Motion exhibition, which opened at Beaulieu on January 17, is reckoned to be the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world, featuring 50 vehicles to celebrate 50 years of James Bond movies.

A collaboration between Eon Productions and Beaulieu, it runs until the end of the year at the National Motor Museum. Lord Montagu attended the launch on January 16, along with former Bond girl Britt Ekland.

You can see 50 of the best-loved Bond vehicles. There’s no Sunbeam Alpine, 007’s first film car in Dr. No, (1962) but there is a silver Aston Martin DB5 (the ‘realest’ one left in the world was bought by an American collector at auction in 2010) but this car was a publicity car for Goldfinger, (1964) and comes from the Dutch National Museum.

The rest of the list is impressive and includes: the 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III driven by Auric Goldfinger; the Ford Mustang Mach 1 famously two-wheeled down an alley in Diamonds Are Forever (1971); the Lotus Esprit S1 submarine from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977); a 1962 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II like the one pushed into a lake by Zorin and May Day with Bond still inside, in A View to a Kill (1985); and the ‘remote-controlled’ (actually from the back seat) BMW 750iL from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).

There’s a Jaguar XKR with SFX weapons from Die Another Day (2002), (it’s a 4x4 – see if you can spot the Ford Explorer running gear underneath); a crashed Aston Martin DBS stunt car from Quantum of Solace (2008); the villain Zukovsky’s Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow II from The World Is Not Enough (1999) – a suitably big car for big actor Robbie Coltrane; and the original ‘Pig’ from The Living Daylights (1987), used to smuggle Koskov across the border through the Siberian pipeline.

Other Bond ‘vehicles’ include the ‘burial-at-sea bed’ from You Only Live Twice (1967); the Bede Acrostar jet from Octopussy (1983); the surfboard with concealed weapons and ammunition from Die Another Day; the Parahawk powered paraglider featured in The World is Not Enough; the cello case ‘ski’ from The Living Daylights, and the Casino Royale (2006) Skyfleet S570 model, based on a Boeing 747.

The National Motor Museum has a collection of more than 250 vehicles, telling the story of motoring in Britain from its inception to the present day. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the world-famous museum, 20 years after Beaulieu opened as a visitor attraction.

The attraction is open every day except Christmas Day. More information at www.beaulieu.co.uk.

The Barn-Find Mystique: Hagerty's top five forgotten treasures

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:51:00 -0500

Barn find stories — those tales of long-forgotten automotive treasures discovered tucked away in original condition and obtained at bargain prices — have long excited anyone who has four-wheeled dreams. The mystique of the unknown and the thrill of discovery are an intoxicating combination. Here are five of our favorite examples.

Aston Martin DB4 Convertible

A rare Aston Martin DB4 convertible — one of only 70 produced — was unearthed in the UK and garnered £309,500 at auction, including buyer’s premium. Never listed in the AMOC Register, DB4C/1104R was purchased by the seller in 1978 from its original owner, who was the Sibthorpian Professor of Rural Economy at Oxford University and director of the Agricultural Research council Unit of Experimental Agronomy there. His college parking pass was still attached to the windshield, and read, "Authority to park in the President’s drive.” The car was placed in dry storage in 1979 when the odometer registered only 60,000 miles. The original engine was gone, but the mill that came with the car was a factory replacement installed in the late 1970s.

Bugatti Type 57S Atalante Coupe

Only 17 examples of the Type 57S Atalante were built by Bugatti, so it’s not surprising that an Atalante barn find was sold by Bonhams for $4.4 million in 2009. Originally purchased by Earl Howe, the president of the British Racing Drivers Club, the car was finished in Howe’s racing colours of blue and black, upholstered in pig skin, and equipped with twin spotlights and a split front bumper. The car changed hands several times before being bought in 1955 by Dr. Harold Carr of Newcastle, England. Carr allegedly consigned the Bugatti to his garage in the early 1960s and it was only discovered in 2007 after his death.

Portuguese Barn Find

The Portuguese Barn Find is perhaps one of the largest and most famous on record. The owner was a Portuguese collector who had amassed his collection in the 1970s after the Carnation Revolution. Many Portuguese collectors were stashing their cars in Spain, or letting them go for bargain prices. In a labor of love for old cars, Antonio Ferreira de Almeida seized every opportunity offered. Cars from every manufacturer, from every country and year made, in every condition. By the end of the 1970s, and before he was 30 years old, António owned some 100 cars, and by the mid-1980s, he had more than 300. When his buying binge ebbed around 1996, almost 400 old cars were in his possession, around a quarter of those in good or excellent condition. German journalist Wolfgang Blaube set out to learn more about the legend. He travelled to Portugal in 2009 with his camera, and met with Antonio.

Jay Leno’s 1931 Duesenberg Model J

Rumors led television personality and noted car collector Jay Leno to a 1931 Duesenberg Model J, which had become something of an urban legend among car enthusiasts. The sedan — the only Model J with a town car body by F.R. Wood and Sons of New York — was built for a department store owner, who locked it away in a parking garage off Park Avenue in New York City in 1931, perhaps out of fear of appearing too ostentatious during the Great Depression. The owner’s son removed it briefly in the 1950s to get it running again, then returned it to the garage, where it fell into disrepair. When Leno learned the car would be available for sale, he negotiated a fair price and turned it over to Duesenberg expert Randy Ema, who completed a comprehensive restoration.

1952 Ferrari 340 America

Of the 25 340 Americas built by Ferrari, nearly all are accounted for. Given the rarity of these cars, the chance of a barn find is nearly nonexistent, but Tom Shaughnessy, of California, beat the odds. In a 2006 eBay auction, Shaughnessy placed the winning bid of $26,912 for a car listed by an Illinois seller as a 1950s Devin Sports Spider with a fiberglass body. What other bidders failed to realize was that underneath the fiberglass was a genuine 1952 Ferrari chassis numbered 0202 A. The car was raced at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1952 by Maurice Trintignant and Louis Rosier, then was lent by the factory to Piero Scotti, who competed in hill climbs with it during 1953. Luigi Chinetti brought the car to the U.S, and it was owned in the late 1950s by Paul Owens, who installed a Chevy V-8 engine. The Devin Spider fiberglass body was installed after a crash. Chassis 0202 A was titled in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1963, after which it vanished until 2006. A complete Ferrari 340 America likely is worth several million dollars, which means Shaughnessy obtained his prize at an approximately 99 percent discount.

Scottsdale 2012 post-sale results

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 02:30:00 -0500

Hagerty valuation experts Dave Kinney (Hagerty Price Guide), Colin Comer (author of "Shelby Cobra 50 Years") and Rob Sass discuss post-auction results from Scottsdale.

Listed below are the raw results witnessed by Hagerty during the live auction. These figures may not factor in any post-sale deals that may occur, but they do include the appropriate buyer’s premiums.

Overall from All Auction Companies

2012 Final Cumulative Total: $182M
2,143/2,527 lots sold: 85% sell-through rate
Average Sale Price: $84,958

Overall Top 10 Sales

1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing sold for $4,620,000 (Gooding)
2. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder sold for $3,905,000 (Gooding)
3. 1948 Tucker Torpedo sold for $2,915,000 (Barrett-Jackson)
4. 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay DHC sold for $2,750,000 (Barrett-Jackson)
5. 1930 Duesenberg Model J disappearing top convertible coupe sold for $2,640,000 (Gooding)
6. 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow sold for $2,420,000 (Barrett-Jackson)
7. 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing sold for $2,200,000 (Barrett-Jackson)
8. 1929 Bentley 4.5L Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton sold for $2,145,000 (Gooding)
9. 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica coupe sold for $1,815,000 (RM)
10. 1954 Desoto Adventurer II coupe sold for $1,430,000 (Barrett-Jackson)

2011 Final Results

Cumulative Total: $157M
2,326/2,887 lots sold: 81%
$67,816 average sale price

Barrett-Jackson Auction Company

2012 Final Cumulative Total: $90.6M
1,291/1,294 lots sold: 99%
Average Sale Price: $70,238

Sunday Total: $5.6M
131/131 lots sold: 100% sell through rate
Average Sale Price: $70,238

Top 10 Cumulative Sales

1. 1948 Tucker Torpedo sold for $2,915,000
2. 1947 Bentley Mark VI Franay DHC sold for $2,750,000
3. 1933 Pierce-Arrow Silver Arrow sold for $2,420,000
4. 1954 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing sold for $2,200,000
5. 1954 Desoto Adventurer II coupe sold for $1,430,000
6. 1928 Daimler P.1.50 Vee Front Royal Limousine sold for $1,155,000
7. 1930 Isotta Fraschini Tipo Cabriolet sold for $1,100,000
8. 1930 Duesenberg J sold for $1,045,000
9. 1964 Ford Fairlane 500 custom 2-door hardtop sold for $1,000,000
10. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette 60th Anniversary convertible sold for $600,000

2011 Final Results

Cumulative Total: $157.7M
1,240/1,240 lots sold: 100%
Average Sale Price: $56,248

Gooding & Company

2012 Final Cumulative Total: $39.8M
116/118 lots sold: 97%
Average Sale Price: $343,396

Overall Top 10

1. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing sold for $4,620,000
2. 1959 Ferrari 250 GT LWB California Spyder sold for $3,905,000
3. 1930 Duesenberg Model J disappearing top convertible coupe sold for $2,640,000
4. 1929 Bentley 4.5L Dual Cowl Sports Phaeton sold for $2,145,000
5. 1967 Ferrari 275 GTB/4 coupe sold for $1,200,000
6. 1965 Ferrari 500 Superfast coupe sold for $1,100,000
7. 1971 Lamborghini Miura P400 SV coupe sold for $1,100,000
8. 1958 BMW 507 convertible sold for $962,500
9. 1971 Maserati Ghibli 4.9 SS Spyder sold for $880,000
10. 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso coupe sold for $880,000

2011 Final Results

Total: $35.0M
120/128 lots sold: 94%
Average Sale Price: $291,407

Russo and Steele

2012 Final Cumulative Total: $18.2M
401/641 lots sold: 63%
Average Sale Price: $45,438

Sunday Total: $1.2M
52/85 lots sold: 61%
Average Sale Price: $45,438

Top 10 Cumulative Sales

1. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 sold for $687,500
2. 1965 Shelby GT350 R sold for $467,500
3. 1967 Ferrari 330 GTC sold for $429,000
4. 1967 Chevrolet Camaro Cherokee sold for $357,500
5. 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429 sold for $264,000
6. 1972 Ferrari Dino 246 GTS sold for $200,200
7. 1970 Dodge Challenger Hemi R/T SE sold for $198,000
8. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 LS6 sold for $165,000
9. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 230 Cabriolet A sold for $159,500
10. 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle LS6 "Motion Performance" sold for $145,200

2011 Final Results

Cumulative Total: $18.8M
601/984 lots sold: 61%
Average Sale Price: $31,259

Silver Auctions

2012 Final Cumulative Total: $2.95M
175/267 lots sold: 66% sell-through rate
Average Sale Price: $16,840

Top 10 Cumulative Sales

1. 1960 Facel Vega HK500 2dr Hardtop sold for $93,960
2. 1948 Packard Super 8 convertible sold for $42,120
3. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro coupe sold for $41,580
4. 1963 Chevrolet Impala 2dr Hardtop sold for $40,500
5. 1969 Chevrolet Camaro convertible sold for $39,960
6. 1934 Ford 5-window coupe sold for $39,420
7. 1935 Ford Pickup sold for $37,260
8. 1948 Chevrolet Pickup sold for $36,990
9. 1941 Buick Roadmaster convertible sold for $36,180
10. 1937 Ford Slantback 2dr Hardtop sold for $35,640

2011 Final Results

Total: $3.4M
193/353 lots sold: 55% sell-through rate
$17,869 average sale price

RM Auctions

2012 Cumulative Total: $24.7M
120/140 lots sold: 86% sell-through rate
Average Sale Price: $205,943

Top 10 Overall Sales

1. 1957 Ferrari 410 Superamerica coupe sold for $1,815,000
2. 1959 BMW 507 convertible sold for $990,000
3. 1973 Ferrari 365 GTS/4 Daytona Spyder sold for $990,000
4. 1963 Ferrari 250 GT Lusso coupe sold for $979,000
5. 1930 Duesenberg Model J LWB Dual Cowl Phaeton sold for $880,000
6. 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 roadster sold for $880,000
7. 1991 Ferrari F40 coupe sold for $781,000
8. 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300SL roadster sold for $737,000
9. 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing coupe sold for $632,500
10. 1952 Ferrari 342 America Speciale coupe sold for $632,500

2011 Final Results

Cumulative Total: $31.0M
174/182 lots sold: 96%
Average Sale Price: $178,133

Bonhams

2012 Cumulative Total: $5.7M
40/67 lots sold: 60% sell-through rate
Average Sale Price: $141,824

Overall Top 10 Sales

1. 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540KCabriolet C sold for $667,000
2. 1930 Rolls-Royce Phantom I Transformal Phaeton sold for $524,000
3. 1947 Delahaye 135M three-position DHC sold for $474,500
4. 1924 Isotta-Fraschini Tipo 8 Torpedo Phaeton sold for $447,000
5. 1966 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Saloon sold for $298,500
6. 1931 Cord L-29 LaGrande Speedster sold for $290,800
7. 1956 AC Ace Bristol Roadster sold for $221,500
8. 1923 Duesenberg Model A touring sold for $183,000
9. 1932 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Sedanca de Ville sold for $177,500
10. 1967 Jaguar E-type 4.2L SI roadster sold for $144,500

Buyers Guide: Gordon-Keeble

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:52:00 -0500

Handsome Anglo-American in an Italian suit never clicked

Anglo-American sports cars have a fine tradition, dating back to the early 1930s and the arrival in Europe of the 1932 Ford flathead V-8. Significant collector car names include AC Cobra, Atalanta, Batten, Brough-Superior, Jensen, Railton and even Morgan, with the Buick-sourced Plus 8.

A rare and worthy addition to the list is the Gordon GT designed by 21-year-old Giorgetto Guigiaro in his first job at Bertone. The handsome four-seater coupe was shown at the 1960 Geneva Motor Show and powered by a Chevrolet Corvette 283-cubic-inch V-8, with a four-speed transmission and Dunlop disc brakes all round.

he project got started when John Gordon met race car driver Jim Keeble in 1959. Keeble had opened his own garage in Eastleigh in Hampshire, and was intrigued by the Peerless — a four-seater fibreglass coupe which was built from 1957-60, using a TR3 engine and chassis. About 325 cars were constructed before the company went bankrupt, though it was revived briefly as the Warwick in 1961.

Gordon left the Peerless in 1958, disappointed by sales, but he met Keeble when the latter was fitting a 3.5-liter Buick V-8 into his car, in search of more power. The two immediately began to plan the high-quality Gordon-Keeble GT and formed a company to manufacture the car. Despite the prototype’s warm reception, production would not commence until 1964, but 99 Gordon-Keeble GK1s were built between 1964 and 1967, first in Eastleigh and then in Southampton.

Beset by supplier strikes and unrealistically low prices, the company failed in 1965, but was rescued by Harold Smith, and nine more cars were built in Southampton. The company failed again in 1968, but continued to tantalise investors. American John De Bruyne built two more cars for the 1968 New York Auto Show, but nothing came of the attempt to move construction to the U.S.
Journalists spoke glowingly of the Gordon-Keeble’s performance, despite its whimsical badge, showing a tortoise surrounded by laurel leaves. The 300 horsepower, 327 cubic-inch Chevrolet V-8 was good for 0-60 mph in under six seconds, a quarter mile came up in 15.6 seconds, and top speed was near 140 mph. The de Dion rear end and four-wheel independent suspension made for excellent handling and the Dunlop disc brakes were up to the task. But the hand-built car was expensive at an initial £2,798, rising to £4,058 for the last examples, and Gordon-Keeble lost money at that price anyway.

The first Gordon GT was built of aluminum (and the chassis design would eventually reappear in Italy as the Iso Rivolta) but production cars had fibreglass bodies built by Williams & Pritchard. Unlike the Peerless and Warwick, which were criticised for poor fit and finish, Gordon-Keebles were well constructed, with handmade, square-tube frames and insulated by foam rubber injected between the tubes.

Not surprisingly, the combination of subdued, but handsome styling, careful construction and bulletproof reliability led to faithful followers who could afford 16-20 mpg, and eschewed Bristols or Jensen Interceptors. A club was formed in the UK in July 1970 by Ernest Knott, who had bought a Gordon-Keeble and was keen to meet other owners. The first meeting took place at Silverstone and attracted 16 cars.

Amazingly, 95 of the 100 cars are known to the club (the 100th was built in 1971 out of leftover parts) and the 40th anniversary in 2004 was notable for attracting 40 surviving cars. The club is shooting for 50 cars for the 50th anniversary. You can contact them through their excellent website for information about joining, detailed history, scheduled gatherings and technical advice. The club secretary is David Yeomans, 26, Burford Park Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham 8PB and he can be reached at gkoc@yeomans26.freeserve.co.uk.

Buying a Gordon-Keeble is probably most easily accomplished through the club, but two cars came up at auction in 2010, both 1965 models. The first sold for £16,853 at H&H Auctions in Warwickshire in March, while the second was a no-sale at Bonhams December sale at Brooklands for £33,468. That same car appears to be for sale by a dealer at present, with an impressive asking price of £47,450, while another example is being offered by another dealer for £34,995. All of which suggests the H&H buyer did rather well.

Everything just Ducky at Barber Vintage Festival

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:03:00 -0500

Biggest gathering of vintage Ducatis in U.S. draw 51,000 fans, lots of famous race faces, as Italian marque celebrates 30th anniversary of legendary TT2 with 3rd annual symposium

Late in 2011, I felt the pull of a big motorcycle magnet tugging me toward Alabama. It had been years since I raced at Barber Motorsports Park in Leeds, just outside of Birmingham. Now the familiar urges lured me back into my old leathers. I would soon be racing my Ducati Pantah and Moto Guzzi V65 in Birmingham’s mild weather at the monumental Barber Vintage Festival on one of the best-flowing technical racetracks in the U.S. There was also the attraction of attending “Ducstock” the biggest assemblage of vintage Ducati racebikes in the U.S., as well as the 3rd annual Ducati TT2 Symposium. My flight was booked, my bikes were prepped and shipped, and I was on my way.

Barber Motorsports Park is a well-known mecca for motorsports fans. It’s a sprawling compound in the green rolling hills outside of Birmingham. The on-site racetrack is technical and challenging. The paddock is clean and modern; it’s a world class facility. The complex also houses the legendary Barber museum, one of the largest assemblages of racing motorcycles and automobiles in the U.S., all housed in a lovely, modern structure.

There were Ducati racebikes at Barber. Lots of them. Manhattan, New York-based Ducati guru Louis Saif has previously held his “TT2 Symposium” out of his garage space in the city. For the past two years, Lou assembled a few dozen highly collectible and curious TT2’s, F1’s and other Pantah-engined 1980s Ducatis. Notable attendees included racers both famous and infamous. 2011, coincidentally the 30th anniversary of the Ducati TT2 factory race bikes, promised to be big. Online discussions ensued. Lou thought large. After a few weeks of development and collaboration with organizers Steve Munroe of Loudbike.com and Vicki Smith of Ducati.net , Ducstock (billed as a “Woodstock” for Ducati fans) was born. The organizers delivered an epic display of vendors, Ducati personalities and Ducati racing machines.

Factory built, handmade racers

Ducati TT2s are factory built, handmade racing machines that were sold to the general public in the early 1980s. The F1 and its variants followed a few years later as street legal versions. The motors are Ducati’s famous 90-degree V-twins. They feature hemispherical, air-cooled cylinder heads with two valves per cylinder and desmodromic valve actuation. These are all eminently tuneable machines. In stock form, they display mid to high 50’s hp, but they can be bumped up to 80+hp very easily. And unlike most modern sportbikes, they can be ridden close to their limits by mere mortals.

These were the last of the hand built Ducati superbikes. TT2’s were, in fact, assembled in the factory by Ducati’s NCR race development team. During their heyday, these bikes trickled out of the factory and onto victory podiums worldwide, ridden by Jimmy Adamo, Marco Lucchinell and others. The TT2’s attraction is its lovely form and its close resemblance to the Ducati factory’s own race bikes.

Prices for TTs and F1s are creeping upward. F1’s, which were in the $6-8000 range a few years back, are now $10-17k, depending on pedigree, modifications and condition. The limited edition Montjuich, Laguna Seca and Santa Monica versions of the F1 command $20,000-30,000 as well. TT2’s are now upwards of $30,000 when they appear for sale. The last ones I’ve seen on the market were a pair at the Peterson Speed and Style auction in Los Angeles a few years back. A multitude of companies now make replica TT2/F1 frame and bodywork kits, so the price of admission is a lot lower if you’re willing to roll your own.

I crossed paths with many Ducati notables

Throughout the weekend, I crossed paths with many Ducati notables. I saw racer Paul Smart, who won the 200km race at Imola in 1972. I also saw Cook Nielson, who rode a 900ss to victory at Daytona in 1977. Factory TT2 tuner Pat Slinn made the long journey to Barber from the UK. Bruce Meyers, of New Hampshire’s BCM Ducati, was holding court and tuning bikes in the paddock. I also spoke with legendary Ducati tuner Reno Leoni, who splits his time between Italy and the U.S. These Ducati legends were greeted by a long line of admirers who waited for a turn to speak directly with their heroes.

Racing, as always, was intense. Unlike many “vintage racing” events, the guys on the grid at Barber meant business. This was one of the last events on the 2011 calendar and many championships hung in the balance. My Ducati Pantah is 320 lbs and around 75 hp. It races against air-cooled Japanese bikes up to 700cc. My Moto Guzzi V65 is about 320 lbs and approximately 55 hp — it races against Honda Ascots and Yamaha SR500s. I’d just found another few horsepower in the little Guzzi after chopping 14 inches off its too-long mufflers.

On each of my four races, I lined up with around 15 other bikes in packed starting grids in the vintage superbike classes. I got the holeshot both days on the Guzzi — it was a breeze with all that v-twin torque. Throughout the weekend, I managed three wins and one second place finish. World champion GP racer Kevin Schwantz had a good dice with racer Pat Mooney in 500 Premier class, with both riders on tuned Manx Nortons. Schwantz, as expected, took the win. American Isle of Man race winner David Roper won the 350 GP class on his Aermacchi.

Another attendee, Gary Palmer, pulled his F1 out from display at Ducstock and made for the starting grid. He managed a respectable 3rd place finish in a Battle of the Twins class against SV650s and modern Ducs. That’s the beauty of vintage Ducatis, they’re functional art, and equally at home on display in your house or office or being thrashed on the racetrack.

The premier U.S. vintage racing event

Racing ended on Sunday, but the action continued through Monday with a track day hosted by Penguin Racing school and led by instructors such as AMA privateer Eric Wood. Many of the same Bevel Drive and and TT/F1 Ducatis on display a day prior were now being flogged on the track. Also of note in the rotation was one Ducati Supermono ridden by well-known motorcycle auctioneer Jerry Wood. With prices for this extremely low production single-cylinder racing Ducati soaring beyond $100k, you don’t see too many Supermonos being used as they were intended.

An added benefit of Barber’s location in the deep south is the preponderance of roadside BBQ restaurants. My California residence prevents my access to any real barbecue, so I took full advantage of Birmingham’s local cuisine. I ate at every single BBQ joint I could find.

With official attendance at around 51,000, and vintage Ducatis galore, the Barber Vintage Festival has become the premier vintage event in the U.S. for racers and spectators alike. See you there in 2012. And if you’ve got a little time on your hands in the meantime, check out Vicki Smith’s huge collection of 2011 pictures.

Scottish Malts event combines sport and scenery

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:29:00 -0500

After the welcome reception in 2010, the 2012 Scottish Malts Classic Reliability Trial and Classic Car Tour will once again start and finish at the Turnberry resort. In Western Scotland, and within easy reach of Glasgow and Prestwick airports, the resort will host the welcome and awards dinners, as well as the first and last driving tests.

Documentation and scrutineering will take place on Sunday 29th April at the Turnberry and once formalities are dealt with, competitors will be able to enjoy the resort — including golf for those entrants who would like to play on the course
Organized by the Historic Endurance Rally Organization (HERO), and sponsored by Avis, Hagerty and Octane magazine, the Reliability Trial and Classic Car Tour is one of the premier classic car events in the UK. It’s open to cars built before 31st December 1981, and the 2012 event will follow the format of past events, with driving tests on private land, regularities along stunning roads and transit sections, allowing both crew members to enjoy the roads and scenery. of Scotland. Lunch is provided on all days of competition, and the long-established tradition of siting main controls and tests at stately homes, castles, distilleries and places of interest will continue. The time schedule is never too demanding, and navigation is by means of a detailed Jogularity-style road book using easy to follow Tulip diagrams.

The ever-popular Scottish Malts Classic Car Tour will be run in conjunction with the Reliability Trial and is intended for crews looking for a less demanding motoring experience, without the need to undertake regularities and driving tests. Entrants on the Classic Car Tour can choose to follow the same route as the Trial but are provided with a specially printed map book giving a detailed but simpler set of route directions, together with touring notes of places of interest along the way. Tour entrants are free to visit places that interest them, whilst always aiming to arrive at the hotel in time for dinner!

Those of you aware of the history of the Turnberry will know that a Grand Prix took place on the old airfield in 1952 with such drivers as Sir Stiriling Moss and Mike Hawthorn. Part of the original runway still exists and Clerk of the Course Peter Nedin will determine if the surface is suitable for a test which will hopefully allow competitors to drive on part of the area once used for the Grand Prix.

Monday 30th April will see the cars flagged away before the first of two tests within the grounds of the resort. From there the event will follow the successful format of past Malts with competitors covering approximately 200-230 miles each day.
Crews new to the Malts should not be daunted by the prospect of driving tests. These are enjoyable manoeuvrability tests mainly on asphalt and set against the clock. You are pitted only against other cars in your class as vehicles will be divided into age categories from vintage to modern classics. Competitors vie for Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, which are awarded to crews who do well against the standard set for cars in their classification, plus a variety of special awards including Marque, National, Enquire and Golden Oldie Team Prizes, the Veteran’s Prize and Concours awards, Absolute Beginner, Spirit of the Rally, the Test Pilot’s and Clock-watcher’s Trophies.

As always, accommodation will be at the best hotels available on route, and although we cannot guarantee that all hotels will match the Turnberry, each hotel selected will be clean, comfortable, offer good food and will have been checked by event officials.

Hagerty's top 10 cars only a mother could love

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:02:00 -0500

Some cars — the Ferrari 250 GTO, for example — epitomize the best of the best when it comes to style. These are not those cars. Here are our top 10 cars so outrageously homely only a mother could love them.

Daimler SP250: Let me first preface this by saying that I owned one of these things and that I loved it. A tiny 2.5 liter hemi V8 and a light fiberglass body made it go like stink and four-wheel disc brakes meant it could stop. The problem was, it looked a bit like an angry catfish. With a gaping maw of a grille and tall fins out back, it looked like a rather unharmonious amalgam of several other British cars of the era.
Pontiac Aztek: OK, let’s face it, this car — actually, I’m not even sure if that’s appropriate, was it a minivan, a crossover or an SUV? What I am sure of is the fact that it was atrocious. They were almost certainly product of perhaps one too many focus groups, but mercifully for all of our corneas, they’re already starting to disappear from the roads.
Alfa Romeo Milano: I love Alfas; I even love the way these, the last of the rear wheel-drive real Alfa sedans drive. I just could never warm up to the looks. I drove a friend’s car for a week or so and really got sick of bystanders asking me if the car had been rear-ended or if it came that way.
Ford EXP: One from the Malaise Era, this visually challenged two-seater Escort derivative reminded me for all the world of one of my frequently hungover college roommates, complete with the same squint.
Reliant Scimitar SS1: Reliant was a low-volume British manufacturer of mainly three-wheeled cars like the Robin that became visual punch lines in numerous Benny Hill sketches. The Scimitar SS1 was their bid at capturing the Miata market after MG vacated it but before Mazda got the bright idea. They may well have succeeded had the car not been from the “Fold-Tab-A-into-Slot-B” school of design.
Trabant: Communists weren’t really about style. Take a look at any concrete block of apartments built in the former East Germany between 1948 and 1991, and you’ll get the inspiration for the Trabant. Utterly devoid of aesthetics, most of these cardboard-bodied reminders of the bad old days of the DDR have smoked their way off into museums.
VW Thing: Everyone loves the Type 181 Thing; you can take the doors off, pile a bunch of friends in and head off to the beach. Living proof that car doesn’t have to be attractive to be fun. Rather ironic that one of the most amusing cars of the 1970s was actually originally built for some notoriously unamusing people — the German army of WWII.
Lada Signet: Having already established the fact that automotive style was not a hallmark of the communist era, this feels like piling on. A non-descript boxy sedan that for some reason Canadians bought in significant numbers in the 1970s and early 1980s, there is perhaps a Russian mother somewhere who could love this car. Then again, Stalin’s mom was reputed to be fond of him.
Citroen Dyane: An updated version of the Citroen 2CV (itself not a conventionally pretty car), the designers deliberately excised all that was charming and quirky about the 2CV, leaving a confusing mishmash of old and new that pleased no one.
Renault R-10: There’s very little to say about the boxy R-10 other than the fact that it’s so devoid of style that it might be for that reason considered stylish. Certainly the bizarre similarity of the front and rear proportions are unusual if not even remotely aesthetically pleasing. Renault is good at producing at least one of these sorts of visual affronts every decade.

The Cars of Cuba: Photos and stories from Havana

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:03:00 -0500

Collector Bob Ames joins one of the first authorized American tours of Cuba, armed with a camera and free sparkplugs for dedicated drivers of ‘40s and ‘50s “Detroit Iron”

Eight Things You Didn’t Know about Cuba

Ladas are worse than the Fiat 124 sedans they copied.
Many of the older American cars are now running on Soviet or Chinese diesel engines, often from tractors.
There is a club for car enthusiasts – The Fangio Club – and the clubhouse is reputed to be near where Cuban rebels kidnapped the five-time F1 champion in 1958. He was later released, and remained friendly with his captors. The incident was dramatized in the 1999 Argentine film “Operation Fangio.”
More Cadillacs were sold in Cuba, per capita, than in any other country – including the U.S.
Hemingway’s last car in Cuba was a 1955 Chrysler New Yorker – a convertible, of course – and it still exists.
Cuba has an eight-lane motorway the length of the 800-mile island. It has more carts drawn by burros on it than cars – and more potholes than burros, as well.
If classic Havana buildings haven’t been restored, you’d be well advised not to walk to close to them, as pieces can fall off at any time.
Coca-Cola may still be banned, but there is a local equivalent. Otherwise how could you have a Cuba Libra?

HAVANA, Cuba – The American trade embargo with Cuba in 1960 had the effect of instantly separating thousands of 1940s and 1950s Detroit-built cars from their spare parts supply. Amazingly, many are still on the road more than 50 years later, cherished by owners who have patched them up with Russian and Chinese tractor parts.

While the subject of Cuba still has the same effect on Congress as a full moon on a werewolf, at least American tourists are once again able to visit this 40,000 square-mile Caribbean paradise. It’s absurdly close to the U.S. mainland – only 90 miles from Miami.

In December, my wife Kathleen and I took one of the first People to People tours of Cuba, authorized by the U.S. government. A large factor in our decision to join this National Geographic-led group of 24 tourists was that leader Chris Baker wrote the coffee table tome, “Cuba Classics – a celebration of vintage American automobiles.” Baker also authored “Mi Moto Fidel,” a chronicle of his 7,000-mile tour of Cuba on a BMW R100GS Paris-Dakar motorcycle.

As a lifelong fan of 1950s American cars, I’ve long wanted to view these much-publicized “Cuban classics.” I can report that most of what you’ve seen in print is true. The streets of Havana reminded me of my high school parking lot …

Since the American trade embargo began in 1960, there have been no U.S.-made cars exported to what was one of Detroit’s most enthusiastic customers. GM’s presence was huge, and even today Cadillacs, Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Chevrolets outnumber Ford and Chrysler products four to one on the island.

Convertibles were always popular, thanks to year-round tropical weather. The place for posing with your ride is hard to miss in Havana. The squares around Capitolio, a flattering copy of Washington’s Capitol building, are lined with 50-year-old American cars during daylight hours. Most are taxis looking for fares, and they don’t leave on their semi-fixed routes until every seat is filled. Others, however, are available for tourist hire by the hour or day. I have a particular 1958 Edsel convertible confirmed for my next visit.

If you want to be a hero and meet Cuban “car guys,” bring spark plugs. The only problem I had dispensing this capitalist largesse was convincing the recipients they were a gift. Other, more transportable ice-breakers are Ferrari and Porsche decals. These seem to be particularly popular with Buick and Lada owners.

There are some new cars, but the rental fleet Geeleys in the parking lot of the hotel we stayed in near Pinar del Rio, a couple of hours west of Havana, were not encouraging. I wish all the best to Warren Buffet and this emerging Chinese manufacturer, but poorly primed paint was peeling off these imports from Cuba’s No. 1 trading partner. Perhaps it’s time to sell my Berkshire Hathaway stock.

Back in Havana, there is a fascinating car museum on the Calle Officios, a historic pedestrian street lined with lovely restored 18th century buildings. One of these houses Museo del Auto Antiquo, which features Cadillacs, Rolls Royce, Packards and other reminders of the country’s splendid, decadent past. The machines on display are generally untouched originals, although Cuba’s oldest car, a 1908 Cadillac, was away for restoration.

Nearby is a street market in Plaza de Armes where I scored an original Cuban yellow or “particular” license plate for my collection. There are plastic fakes in all the souvenir shops, while the genuine variety are riveted onto cars that are rarely scrapped, and until recently could not be legally sold.

Here’s a bit of lore for automobilia collectors: Cuban license plates come in three basic colors; yellow for privately owned vehicles, red for rental cars and blue for the many official or government-owned cars. We saw a handful of Mercedes and BMWs – all with blue license plates.

Given the age of Cuba’s passenger car fleet, and the fact that most have been cut off from factory support for 50 years, mechanical ingenuity is highly developed. I saw pistons made on a belt-driven lathe and was told of a man who can make bumpers for your ’58 Caddy – out of tin.

Great cigars, cheap rum concoctions, cool jazz in the nightspots and collector cars actually being used. There are no trailer queens in Cuba. I can’t wait to go back.

Bonhams to present drive-through auction in Paris

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:45:00 -0500

La Halle Freyssinet, a venue more often associated with top names in fashion, will host Bonhams’ next motor car and motorcycle sale in Paris on 1 February 2012. An impressive array of offerings will drive through the venue, including a 1961 Aston Martin DB4GT Coupé, which has attracted a pre-sale estimate of €1,100,000-1,400,000.

This venue is a change from 2011’s event when the sale was held at the Grand Palais.

James Knight, Bonhams Group Head of Motoring, says: “Although we enjoyed our sale at the Grand Palais — and I must acknowledge how much the management tried their best to accommodate us for 2012 — it is very much a national monument that came with understandable restrictions. With La Halle Freyssinet we have identified another impressive and well-located venue but this time allowing us to present a drive-through auction — a concept we brought to Europe in 2009 to much acclaim. The drive through allows our clientele to see and hear the cars prior to coming under the hammer, providing an exciting dynamic to the sale."

Book Review: Porsche buyers guide serves its purpose

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:53:00 -0500

The Essential Buyer’s Guide: Porsche 911SC
Coupe, Targa, Cabriolet and RS 1978-83
Adrian Streather, Veloce, 64 pages, £9.99, $19.95, www.velocebooks.com

When the history of Porsche is written, the all-round best car (not counting exotics and those not built yet) is bound to be the 1978-83 Porsche 911SC.

These are the first galvanized steel bodies, have embryonic air conditioning (improved with second condenser) and utterly bulletproof 3-litre motors, good for 250,000 miles with regular maintenance.

When I sold mine, with 185,000 miles on it, the engine had never been apart. The new owner drove it 3,000 miles across the U.S., using half a quart of oil, and sent me a photo of the speedometer at 135 mph in Wyoming. SC’s are becoming harder to find in driver condition now, a sure sign they are moving into the collectible world. Soon all you will find will be trailer queens, or beaters you don’t want.

So now’s the time to look for one: either a coupe (preferably with sunroof) targa or, in 1983 only, the cabriolet. There were 61,495 911SCs built, and many were treasured, so the odds are good.

This book is an excellent pocket guide, mostly to help you keep your head on straight, and stop you falling in love. The rules are simple and have a fairy-tale level of dread to them.

Look for a car that has fewer than 120,000 miles, if possible, and/or has every single maintenance record, including the improved Carrera chain tensioner and modified blow-off valve. It must be straight, should have original paint or correct color repaint, have no crash damage, no rust, a good interior and be unmodified. Don’t buy a car that’s been lowered, has a fake whale-tale spoiler, flares, short-shift gearchange, or an aftermarket slant nose.

If there’s ever a car that demands a pre-purchase inspection by an expert, this is it. Check for leaks, though it will often take a while for engine leaks to manifest themselves. But a car on a hoist will tell you a lot about itself.

Original Porsche parts are not cheap, but some aspects of basic maintenance are quite reasonable. Find a first-class mechanic before you buy. If he’s the person who does the pre-purchase inspection, so much the better.

Streather makes a very good point when he asks: Is a Porsche really for you? It’s a driver’s car; if all you do is plod around slowly making short trips, it won’t be good for either of you. Sitting unused for extended periods isn’t recommended either. Good cars can still be found in the £10,000 range, but be prepared to spend whatever it takes to buy the right car. As they say: If you can’t afford a good example of the car you want, you certainly can’t afford a bad one.

Provenance: ***
Adrian Streather is a Swiss resident who has written dozens of Porsche books. You can check out his own website http://www.adrianstreather.com/ His points are clear (“you’ll never make money on an SC”); his style readable and he obviously knows his subject very well. He even warns about forged registration papers, since thousands of V5 forms were stolen in the UK in 2006.

Fit and finish: ***
Like all the Essential Guides, the book is quite well done technically, with well re-produced images, readable typography and unassuming design.

Drivability: ***
If you follow the guidelines that Straither lays out, you should wind up with a good car. You can’t expect more than that from any buyers guide.

London to Cape Town Rally set for January 1

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 14:32:00 -0500

10,000-mile event to take 27 days, cross 14 countries, and start from Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament will serve as the starting line for the London to Cape Town World Cup Rally on 1 January 2012, Colin Wilson reports.

Forty-four cars will set off on a timed rally, covering 10,000 miles in 27 driving days across 14 countries, and touching three continents.

The route, organised by The Endurance Rally Association, will cross France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa, and be run against the clock.

It is the first time ever that an international rally has crossed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; crews take a ferry from Egypt to cross the Red Sea, driving to Jeddah to re-cross to Sudan.

Crews from 10 different countries will compete for the World Cup; they face desert conditions in Egypt, a drive through the desert of Northern Sudan, spectacular mountains in northern Ethiopia, then the toughest day of all, driving over the volcanic lava rocks of the great desert of Northern Kenya.

After that, muddy jungle trails through Tanzania and Zambia bring survivors to the Victoria Falls at Livingstone, and onto the long graded-gravel trails of the world's oldest desert through Namibia, finishing up with a blast through the Cederbourg Mountains of South Africa, before sampling the beers at the long mahogany bar of the Table Bay Mountain of Cape Town.

"This has without doubt been the hardest event we have ever organised," says rally Chairman Philip Young. "It's been a roller-coaster ride of highs and lows, but the starter's flag can now come out of the broom-cupboard."

See the cars on 1 January: the cars will scrutineered and on show all day at Brooklands on New Year's Day, then drive up to Westminster, where a special supper has been organised at the end of Downing Street. Prime Minister David Cameron has been asked by the Minister of Culture, Ed Vaizey, to fly a chequered flag from the roof of 10 Downing Street — and the cars will be lined up and flagged away from the House of Lords, with the spectacular backdrop of the Houses of Parliament, as Big Ben strikes 7pm.

The cars will head for Dover, with a hard night of timed sections set in Kent's North Downs. Results will be up on the event's website at www.londoncapetownrally.com before participants reach Calais.

For further information:
Endurance Rally Association
email: mail@endurorally.com
website: www.endurorally.com

Video Ride Along: 1967 Sunbeam Minx

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:49:00 -0500

We take you for a ride in a 1967 Sunbeam (Hillman) Minx, which our experts call a great first collector car.

Tours can help you enjoy your classic

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:51:00 -0500

How many classic cars are cherished, loved, polished and cared for, yet really don’t see the use they need and deserve? Not the concours or museum pieces, but the lovely cars owned by most of us. So many of these lovely vehicles only see tarmac on the occasional high day or holiday. Why is this?

Tours in particular offer an enjoyable way of using your car. There are no competitions, timed sections or anything to stress about as with rallies. It’s just you, your car, passengers (if you wish), and the open road. Life just seems so perfect ‘pootling’ along the back roads, past stunning scenery, through pretty villages, and taking time to stop and enjoy the sights. It’s just the perfect way to travel — your own wheels at your own pace.

I have been fortunate to meet so many different people, and see and do so many wonderful things, thanks to my classic car — things that just would not have happened with my modern tin top. I have travelled to places all over Europe (and further afield) driving my little car and exploring on and off the beaten track.

I started out camping and following my nose to find new routes, but my accommodation has now upgraded to inns and hotels, although the routes are just as lovely. And for those who don’t have the time or inclination to find the roads or the nice places to stay (with suitable parking), or to plan what there is to do, see and visit on the route, then there are specialist driving tour companies that can help.

Not wanting the hassle or guesswork of planning my own tour, I have been on organised tours, both by joining a group and by having a tour created for a group of my like-minded friends. All the hotel and ferry bookings were made, and we were each given a comprehensive tour book, which included detailed route instructions and maps, hotel information, and everything to see each day, as well as some history and background on the area we were exploring. In fact we gained so much more from the trip than I ever thought possible, and far more than we would have discovered ourselves. There is still a lot of freedom and independence within the tour framework, and no convoy driving on the tours I have done. And the sense of camaraderie with fellow tour participants was the icing on the cake.

I cannot recommend it enough and I’m looking forward to the 2012 adventures with my cars.

Elizabeth Honeyborne is the owner of three classic/sports cars, and a veteran of a number of tours with Classic Travelling Ltd .

NEC Classic Motor Show is a must-attend event

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:32:00 -0500

The fact that it takes place indoors in unglamourous Birmingham in November, in five Costco Warehouse Club-sized exhibition halls occasionally makes us forget the greatness that is the NEC Classic Motor Show. Twelve hundred cars, 500 motorbikes, an autojumble that fills one of the aforementioned halls and nearly every UK marque club imaginable (plus most of the major foreign marques) make the NEC a must-attend show for any true petrolhead.

Dave Kinney, publisher of Hagerty Price Guide and Hagerty magazine publisher Rob Sass, both from the U.S., were joined on stage by Mike Brewer and Edd China, of the Discovery UK show “Wheeler Dealers,” as well as the editors of the leading weekly and monthly UK classic car publications for three valuation seminars, while the BBC’s “Top Gear” presented a live version of its show at the adjacent LG Arena. Fans of the show (now in Series 17) were not disappointed by the live edition, in which the three presenters participated in automotive curling (using much reviled Rover CityRovers in place of curling stones) and “chariot races” featuring three motor scooters lashed together pulling a chariot.

Getting to the show from anywhere in Britain couldn’t be easier as Birmingham is located at the hub of the UK’s motorway system, easily accessed from the M6, M42, M1, M5, M40 and M69. A better option from Central London are the fast Virgin Trains which leave Euston station every half hour or so and take about one hour and fifteen minutes to the Birmingham train station, which is connected to the show venue. Cost is about £40 for a roundtrip ticket. If you must fly, the Birmingham airport is also connected to the exhibition center.

Show tickets range from £17.50 in advance to £25.50 on the door, depending on the day, with Friday tickets being more expensive than Saturday or Sunday. Children’s prices (5-16) are about half. Children under five are free.

London to Brighton 2011: An insider's perspective

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 16:07:00 -0500

Regent Street is particularly busy in the traditional run up to Christmas, however the past few years has seen heightened excitement among the shopping folk: Not only are the shops offering deals a plenty, but there are also 150 veteran cars, 50 Jaguar E-Types and 50 Mini Cooper S lined up and down Regent Street. This is the real start to the London to Brighton Veteran Car weekend. We are blessed with clear skies and inquisitive punters. Among the assorted vehicles we spy the 1904 Darracq “Genevieve.”

The excitement of the shopping community is surpassed by those with their veteran cars who are ready for their annual pilgrimage to Brighton, starting at dawn from London’s Hyde Park on Sunday 6th November, and I am riding with Lord Montague and his museum director, Doug Hill, on board the National Motor Museum’s De Dietrich.

Arriving at Hyde Park the following morning, it is still dark but the illumination of the street lights Velo in pole position. Fantastically, the Hagerty-insured car is the oldest vehicle entered in the Run and is being piloted by the youngest driver, Mr. Oliver Wright — who at the tender age of 18 has been practising with the vehicle to ensure he can guide it to Madiera Drive in Brighton on behalf of the Ward brothers, the owners of the vehicle. The start horn sounds as the first sector departs at precisely 7.02am. They will hopefully arrive in Brighton in roughly five hours time!

My departure time is 7.54am and there are so many fantastic cars to see, and so many people to talk to, that I am now in danger of missing my ride. However, Lord Montague and Doug are patiently waiting for me and we are all on board and ready to go when the steward announces we have five minutes to go!

With a turn of the crank handle and an almighty shudder, the car is quickly settling into its rhytmn. Doug is at the helm; this is his 35th Brighton Run, so he knows what he is doing. It is a poisoned chalice for him, though; his boss is seated next to him and he also needs to keep an eye on the next-door car, Lord Montague’s 1903 Daimler, this year being driven by HRH Price Michael of Kent. The convoy is soon trundling toward the starting line, and then, with quick waves to the crowds, we’re off!

The police have closed a number of roads on the route and this allows for quick and safe passage out of the city. There is something rather surreal passing under the shadow of Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge in a car built more than 100 years ago, then seeing the London Eye and realising that we are not lost in a time warp.

We are soon through South London, and the countryside beckons before disaster strikes. The Daimler’s clutch won’t engage and the gearbox looks to be badly damaged. On the roadside the team from Beaulieu gather around the car whilst an anxious royal looks on. The tool kit is soon out and the team works like clockwork taking the gearbox apart, repairing the damaged parts and then, to everyone’s great relief, getting the car back up and running. Not quite the same time as a Formula One team pit stop, however we are back on track after 1.5 hours.

Reaching speeds of up to 50 mph, the 24 hp, 4-cylinder De Dietrich comfortably tackles the hills at Crawley and Clayton, where we see some earlier cars being pushed by their passengers.

The route from Hyde Park to Brighton is 97kms, or 60 miles, and is lined with well-wishers and veteran enthusiasts. Many car clubs also use this Run to celebrate old cars with barbeques, and bacon and sausages seem to sizzle in each village. Union Jack flags are waved by pensioners and children alike, and each person we see along the route has a smile on his or her face.
Far too quickly I realise that we are on the last stretch of road as we tackle the traffic entering Brighton, then we are at the seaside, with Madiera Drive being completely closed off to Veteran vehicles.

Hundreds of people cheer as we reach the finishing line and, despite the freezing temperatures and being open to the elements for the past eight hours or so, it has been a remarkable experience. I have to admit to huge respect to all participants. It takes an enormous amount of effort to ensure the car is ready to take part; the logistics of entering the run and being prepared to get our hands dirty makes this event more of a challenge than any other events Hagerty has been involved in during the year.

My huge thanks go to Doug and his team from Beaulieu and, of course, to Lord Montague for allowing me to take a seat on his fabulous De Dietrich, the real star of the show!

1964½-’66 Ford Mustang: An icon you can count on

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:27:00 -0500

They are stylish, nippy and easy to work on – and the best thing is, you don’t have to

Few American cars make much sense in the UK, or look good parked outside a nice old country pub.

Problems with spares and service preclude owning anything built before the 1960s, let alone defunct marques like Studebaker, Nash, Hudson, Packard, Mercury and Oldsmobile. Ask me about my 1939 Ford V-8, when I was in grammar school. On second thoughts, don’t.

Also, U.S. designs tend to be fussy, like the iconic ’57 Chevy, brash like the 1959 “Batwing” Chevy Impala and 1959 Cadillac, or merely garish, like almost all the 1958 models with “Body by Wurlitzer” — the jukebox manufacturer. And 7-litre 1960s muscle cars return unmentionable gas mileage; can you afford 7 mpg? I thought not.

One exception to both these problems is the first generation Ford Mustangs — the so-called 1964½ model made from April 17 1964 until September, when the identical 1965 model year was introduced, and through September 1966, when the puffed-up ’67 model was launched.

Based on the unlovely Ford Falcon, the sleek Mustang was 181.6 inches long, rode on a 108-inch wheelbase and weighed 2,500 pounds. Prices started at $2,368. There was a 2-door hardtop coupe, a convertible and, from autumn 1964, a 2+2 fastback coupe.
To put the production numbers in perspective, 418,000 Mustangs had been sold by the model’s first anniversary, and 1965’s calendar year production was 518,000. The 1966 model recorded 607,568 sales to make total production of the first design a remarkable 1,288,566 examples.

These early cars are simple, light and stylish, with their long bonnets and short boots, and they are pretty nearly bulletproof. Best of all, they were made in enormous numbers and every single part is being remanufactured in the U.S. Like an MGB, you could build a completely new car today.

These early Mustangs are also relatively under-stressed (good) and crude (bad), with indifferent brakes and handling and potentially ruinous rust problems to their monocoque shells. However, even the 101-horsepower, 2.75-litre, 6-cylinder 1964 model is more than able to keep up with European traffic and, driven carefully, can return 25 mpg.

One reason the Mustang was so popular was the string of options that were available. You could get the “pony interior” with the grill-badge impressed into the seat backs. The GT package offered five round gauges, instead of the Falcon instrument panel, stripes and driving lights in the grille. Of course there was power steering, power brake options (front discs in 1966), wire-wheel and “knock-off” spinner hubcaps, factory alloy wheels and dual exhausts. Air-conditioning was a simple below-dash unit and you could order power windows, also a power top on the convertible. There were dozens of colors. All Mustangs are LHD, except for some conversions done in Australia, where LHD penalties were impossibly inconvenient (big sign on the back of the car, etc.).

Mustang engines ranged from the 170 cubic-inch 6-cylinder in 1964, the 200 cubic-inch 6-cylinder in 1965 and 1966, and the 289 cubic-inch V-8. This could be had as the A-code 200-horsepower unit, the C-code 225 horsepower engine and K-code 271 GT motor (I use cubic inches, because that’s the way you will usually see them advertised). Transmissions were 3- and 4-speed manual (3-speed only with the 6-cylinder motor) and 3-speed automatic.

Rare option packages range all the way up to the Shelby GT 350 of 1965 (521 made) and 1966 (2,367 made), plus the 34 1965 “R” (for racing) models. Unless you have the bank account of Croesus — and especially if you DO, be aware there are many fakes, and complete and irrefutable provenance is vital before you toy with a six-figure deal.

So let’s be practical. Simple, basic early Mustangs are common in the U.S. and can be found in the UK. Original cars can be especially sweet running. They exist, too: I saw a red 5,000-mile, 6-cylinder original, with one old repaint, sell at a Monterey, California, auction in 2010 for £11,300. Desert areas such as California, Arizona or maybe Texas are the best points of origin. Rust is almost never an issue and there’s a decent amount of money around, so cars won’t have been beaten to death.

A sound, Plain Jane ’64-’66 coupe should be available for £6,000-8,000, plus shipping. Figure about double that for a decent convertible and don’t worry about performance options, unless you are buying a one-owner car from somebody who has the original window sticker.

As always, even if you are buying a one-owner car from a priest, have a professional appraiser or a local Mustang club member inspect the car for you. NEVER purchase a car sight unseen by an expert, and if you buy a car in England, make sure you have somebody knowledgeable go with you to inspect it. Try the Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain, for example.

When you buy your car, make a list of replacements and upgrades that you fancy and go online. You’ll be amazed what you can buy. The Mustang offers the very best of 1960s motoring. They are nippy, stylish and easy to work on — and the best thing is, you don’t have to.

Our Cars: Angus Forsyth's Jensen Interceptor Mk1

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:40:00 -0500

Hagerty International Managing Director Angus Forsyth has known since he was six years old that he would own a Jensen; the only questions were which and when.

Employee: Angus Forsyth

Title: Managing Director at Hagerty International Limited

Years at Hagerty: Seven

Car: 1967 Jensen Interceptor Mk1

Background: When sent away to boarding school at the age of six, my parents, who were living in Africa at the time, sent a small package to school for my arrival. I remember lying in bed in my dormitory (aptly named “Rabbits”), being scared, apprehensive and feeling pretty lonely among 100 strangers. I opened the package and it was a model car: A Corgi Jensen FF.

Why this car? Some 42 years later, that image had never ever left my head, and I knew one day I would own one. Three weeks ago, I bumped into a chap who was a bit of an authority on Jensen's, and he advised me what to get: A Mk1. Low and behold, I punched it in to the Internet the next day and one came up immediately. I sent an email to the owner asking if it was still for sale and he responded that not only was it for sale, he knew me! I called him and it turned out he is a collector whom I had met several times before. When I asked where he lived, he replied, “You probably don’t want to know the answer to that.” It turned out that he lived 15 minutes away from the office, so I cordially replied, “I shall see you in 15 minutes.” I went there, saw the car, and bought it on the spot. What a machine!

Repairs and modifications (planned or completed): The car has had quite an extensive amount of work carried out on it previously, and at this stage all seems to be fine. It will go for a full service and a very thorough check over.

Hobby activities (clubs, events, etc.): Having literally only just taken delivery of the car, I have not really had a chance to do much with it. Hagerty are hosting their first "Cars and Coffee" morning this Sunday, so the Interceptor will be making an appearance. I have joined the Jensen Owners Club and they are a very friendly bunch of people with a wealth of knowledge. Ironically they are planning a tour to the United States in 2014, and guess who is assisting with all the transit coverage for them? It could only be Hagerty International.

You Only Live Forever: Exhibit marks 50th anniversary of first Bond film

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 13:49:00 -0500

For James Bond’s 50th screen anniversary, Beaulieu’s year long show “Bond in Motion” rounds up 50 of the most iconic vehicles seen in the films, including cars, boats, planes, motorbikes — and even a cello case

Next year marks the 50th anniversary of "Dr. No," the first Bond movie in 1962, and to commemorate the milestone 50 of the most famous vehicles from the Bond films will be on display at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

The exhibition, titled “Bond in Motion,” will open on January 18 and give fans the opportunity to see many of the cars, boats, motorbikes, sleds and jets of seven James Bonds. In case you’ve forgotten, they are Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

Taking pride of place will be Bond's most famous car, the 1964 Aston Martin DB5 that Sean Connery drove in "Goldfinger" and "Thunderball." It will be joined by the 1937 Phantom lll Rolls-Royce from "Goldfinger," the Lotus Esprit S1 that famously turned into a submarine in "The Spy Who Loved Me," the Aston Martin DBS from "Quantum of Solace," the Jaguar XKR that went ice-dancing in "Die Another Day" and the BMW 750iL that Pierce Brosnan “drove” with his mobile phone in "Tomorrow Never Dies."

Joining the cars will be various other vehicles from the Bond franchise, such as the Bede Acrostar jet featured in "Octopussy," the paraglider/snowmobile hybrid Parahawk from "The World is Not Enough" and original Cello Case Ski that Timothy Dalton used in "The Living Daylights."

Bond in Motion will run from January 18, 2012, to December, and further vehicles will be disclosed as the date gets closer. The official website of The National Motor Museum is www.beaulieu.co.uk, where you can keep up with developments.

Book Review: The E-Type's cushy descendant

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:23:00 -0500

The Jaguar XK8 and XKR represent a genuine attempt by Ford to recapture a bit of the E-Type’s magic – if you can live with an automatic transmission

The XK8 was launched in 1996 and represented a new start for Jaguar, now firmly in Ford’s control. It replaced the XJ-S, which had been in production for 20 years, during which time it had been grumbled about by purists as a lumbering tank and poor successor to the E-Type.

The XK8 and its high-performance sibling, the supercharged XKR, which appeared in 1998, combined the essence of the original E-Type with modern conveniences like air conditioning, power windows and a power top.

The XK8 also bore a marked resemblance to the Aston Martin DB7, which was also designed by Ian McCallum, as both companies belonged to Ford at the time.

The heart of the XK8 was a new 4-litre, 290-horsepower, AJ V-8, which did away with both the expensive V-12 and the unrefined 6-cylinder. The engine rested in a modified XJS chassis with high-quality leather interior, and it was available in both coupe and convertible.

Sadly, no manual transmission was ever offered, which propelled it straight into country-club and boulevardier ownership, though perhaps to better maintenance and less use.

Thorley offers through inspection guidelines, both summary and in-depth, and points out known weak spots in the cars – front suspension, the need for regular transmission maintenance, dubious timing chain tensioners, water pumps that can scatter their plastic vanes throughout the limited cooling system, areas to watch for rust, complicated and expensive headlights which have moisture problems. Even little issues like disappearing electronic dashboard graphics and stubborn warning lights can be very expensive to correct.

The Essential Buyer’s Guide: Jaguar XK8 & XKR All models from 1996-2005

Nigel Thorley, Veloce, 64 pages, £9.99, $19.95

www.velocebooks.com

Thorley stresses that competent maintenance and full records are vital for a car that is beyond many enthusiasts’ capability to work on. He also observes that the XK8 isn’t really collectible yet, so any serious work will be a losing proposition for a while. With 66,518 XK8s, and 23,856 XKRs built, they aren’t rare, either.

Nevertheless, Thorley points out that the XK8 and XKR are legitimate successors to the classic Jaguars of the past and good examples can reward their owners with thousands of miles of trouble-free use — if you buy the right car.

Provenance: ***
Nigel Thorley is clearly well-versed in Jaguar XK8s and XKRs and the only real complaint is the lack of information about his background. It’s a similar grumble to his Mk1 & Mk2 book. Even online searching reveals sparse details, beyond his being a founding member of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club and having written about a dozen Jaguar books. So he gets 3-stars, but the book gets none for not telling us about him.

Fit and finish: ***
In common with other Essential Buyer’s Guides, production is excellent. It’s perfect-bound with glossy cover, clear typography, useful photographs, checklists and statistics, and it’s pocket-sized for convenience.

Drivability: ***
A buyers guide to a car you probably can’t work on yourself is vital. This book enumerates problems you absolutely MUST find, if they exist, as a number will be deal-breakers. It’s something to show to a seller when he tells you “Oh, they all do that, sir.”

Hagerty to hold valuation seminar during NEC Classic Motor Show

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:51:00 -0400

Hagerty is pleased to announce its first-ever UK valuation seminar, to be held Friday 11 November during the 2011 NEC Classic Motor Show. Valuation experts Dave Kinney and Rob Sass will take a look at the overall market, then zero in on Jaguar E-Types and those perpetually forgotten classics such the Triumph Italia, Jensen Interceptor and Lotus Esprit.

The best part? The seminar is free to NEC show attendees. Further details to come soon.

Click here to learn more about the 2011 NEC Classic Motor Show, scheduled for 11-13 November at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

The 2011 Goodwood Revival: It ain’t over ’til it’s overdone

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:55:00 -0400

“A magical step back in time,” they call it. And even before you cross the portal that is the famous tunnel under the start-finish straight, you’re kaleidoscoped into another world. No post ’66 vehicles are allowed into the circuit, so all of the support network – from the course car to the fleet of Glamcabs Mk1 Cortinas (just like in the Carry On film) are period.

From the hordes of bookies, spivs and bunny girls to the Dad’s Army platoon and the mods and rockers, the Bavarian beer hall sponsored by BMW and the ’60s-style food store (a great bit of marketing by Tesco), the attention to detail is seamless. Even the cash machines are concealed within old-type red phone boxes.

Motorcycles have always been a feature of the event, and this year motocrossers and their bikes from the golden 1950s-’60s era of scrambling paraded daily and mudplugged on a course built especially for the event at Lavant Corner.

Goodwood is about pure overkill and can leave you dizzy from such a surreal experience. If there was one GT40 you’d stand and stare at for an hour; here in the paddock there were 11 lined up, all of them real. Ten Spitfires flew from the infield – Goodwood was Westhampnett airfield during WW2 and here celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain as the RAF choir sang.

5 best things about it

Proper racing – no Monterey demos here
Top drivers in real, priceless cars
WW2 air displays
The willingness of many attendees to get into the spirit of the event by dressing in period clothes.
Seamless attention to detail mean there’s something new around every corner, leading to sheer feel-good factor

It’s not compulsory to dress up, but most people do: Tweeds and twinsets will do it, military uniforms are popular and the lowest common denominator is white overalls – but you’re not getting into the paddock without a tie. Tickets are advance only and sell out long before the event; for 2011`, organisers are claiming a record, full-capacity 138,000 visitors over the three days.

This year’s featured hero, 100 years after his birth, was Juan Manuel Fangio, and a grid of cars celebrated his career, including three Mercedes-Benz racers and two Chevy coupes brought over from Argentina. A handful of drivers who knew and raced with Fangio were also on hand. The largest-ever Revival parade took to the track as 100 British-built Fords lapped the circuit to mark the Blue Oval’s centenary in the UK.

Oh, and there’s the racing: an explosion of sight and sound, all of it real and priceless. Highlights included Saturday’s Fordwater Trophy, an E-Type-only race to mark the 50th anniversary of Jaguar’s legendary sports car, won by Jon Minshaw and Martin Stretton in a 1964 semi-lightweight. In the St Mary’s Trophy for 1960s saloon cars, it was the turn of period F, pre-’66, and here Richard Shaw anchored a brilliant overall win with a track victory in Sunday’s second instalment of this two-part race in his BMW 1800 TiSA. Tom Kristensen and Kenny Brack took an emphatic win in the rain aboard Daniela Ellerbrock’s Shelby Daytona Cobra in the Royal Automobile Club Tourist Trophy Celebration race for GT cars.

In the concours, the 1934 Hawker Fury Mk1 was voted the Freddie March Spirit of Aviation pre-1966 aircraft winner, while a 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atalante owned by William Ainscough was the public’s choice out of 10,000 entries for “the most beautiful car in the world” in the Earls Court concours d’elegance, with the 1961 Jaguar E-Type roadster coming second.

The sheer glee of a weekend in another world with likeminded petrolheads will leave you reeling – as my companion, a Revival first-timer, said on leaving: “That’s not real” – but it’s an event you must visit at least once in your life. Until then, there’s more, including dress advice, at www.goodwood.com. Provisional dates for the 2012 Revival are 14-16 September.

Race series will celebrate MGB's 50th anniversary

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 10:04:00 -0400

HRDC to kick off 30-minute, single-driver MGB races at Castle Combe on 9 April 2012

The Historic Racing Drivers Club will present a series of races in 2012 to celebrate 50 years of the MGB as a competition car, Colin Wilson reports.

After an approach by Barry Sidery-Smith — the acknowledged “Godfather” of MGB racing in the UK — the HRDC will host a collective of 30-minute, single-driver races for FIA-Appendix K-type historic MGB cars, with an invitation class for historically interesting MGB-derived race cars, such as the WSM MGB and the Jacques Coune-built MGB Berlinette.

HRDC founder and race director Julius Thurgood was thrilled to help stage the events. “’Sideways’ got me into racing in the first place” he said. “I bought the right car to start with — the ex-Neville Marriner Prodsport MGB, which I ran successfully in the first Willhire 24-Hours some 30-odd years ago. Like so many would-be competitors that Barry has helped and mentored over the years, Barry took me under his wing and introduced me to circuits such as Spa, Nurburgring, Zandvoort and Chimay.”

“I owe Barry a great debt of gratitude for that great start in motorsport,” Thurgood continued. “Helping Barry to properly celebrate 50 years of the MGB in racing is a fabulous way to say 'Thank You' to a man whose generosity of spirit has helped so many enjoy this great sport."

The inaugural race for the HRDC "MGB50" will take place at Castle Combe on 9 April 2012, at the HRDC “Historica” race day in association with the Castle Combe Racing Club.

Barry Sidery-Smith — who started racing MGBs at an International level in 1965 — will, of course, be entered in his famous ex-works Le Mans MGB “DRX255C,” which will be supported by many of the ex-works and works-associated MGB racers. Applications to race in HRDC "MGB50" can be made via the HRDC website at www.hrdc.eu.

Schotten not forgotten

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:29:00 -0400

Annual classic races show how advanced Germany was in the 1950s, and Audi brings DKW and NSU racers from their museum to prove the point

The Vogelsberg Mountains north of Frankfurt contain some of the best bike roads you can find and thousands of riders gather every year on the third weekend of August for the Schotten historic races.

In 1925, an automobile and motorcycle club was founded in Schotten, and designed a very demanding, undulating 16.08 km circuit using the public roads around town. In 1947, 90,000 spectators attended the first motorcycle race there after WW II to see top riders like Karl Kling, Walter Zeller and Schorsch Meier.

The track flourished and in 1953 it was awarded the German round of the motorcycle World Championship. But like the Isle of Man TT in the 1970s, top riders staged a strike, complaining that the course was too dangerous. As a result, only the 125cc and 250cc races were run as part of the world championship, with NSU-mount Werner Haas winning both races.

The Schotten course never recovered and all German road racing was stopped after a series of accidents a few years later. An attempt was made to build a £20 million circuit at Schotten the early1970s, but despite money being pledged and political support, it never happened.

The yearly races held now are part of the German classic series that started in 1989. Races are staged on a 1.4 km street circuit in the town itself, and attract more than 100 entries and 20,000 spectators. The event’s appeal is two-fold: Spectators can get close to the action and see many rare German racing machines.

A day here shows how technically advanced German industry was in the 1950s and 1960s, long before the Japanese became involved. This year, Audi Tradition brought bikes from its museum, reminding people that great motorcycle names like DKW and NSU are also part of its heritage.

Regarded as the most professional racing team, NSU was the largest producer of motorcycles in the world in 1955 and held numerous land speed records. The company won World Championships and took the first four places in the 1954 Lightweight TT. Mike Hailwood rode an NSU, and his original machine was present at the event.

Along with well-known historic bikes, Audi stunned the crowd by bringing the 1936 DKW 700cc UL sidecar outfit, which had not seen the light of day since 1937. It took two years work to rebuild the motor, which was damaged in a race. New barrels were cast in 500cc and 600 cc versions, so as not to put too much strain on the bottom end of the motor – which is the only one in existence.

The 700UL is classed as a parallel twin two-stroke, but it does in fact have four cylinders working on the Bichrome, or split-single layout, like a Puch. The pistons are mounted on articulating con-rods, and work in their own cylinders but share a common combustion chamber with a centrally mounted spark plug. One piston follows another, with transfer ports in one cylinder and the exhaust ports in the rear.

Both the twin carburettors and the exhausts are mounted at the rear of the cylinders, while water hoses lead from the front of the cylinders to a radiator attached to the down tubes. This layout leads to its “U” designation and also means that a reverse megaphone is not required to create back-pressure in the exhaust system. Hence it has virtually straight exhaust pipes exiting rearwards and ending in conventional megaphones.

A similar, supercharged solo machine ran at the Isle of Man TT before WWII, where it was remembered for its speed, its deafening exhaust and unmentionable fuel consumption. It was difficult to assess the 700UL’s top speed from parade laps , but it certainly sounded different.

Next year’s million-dollar question is whether the company will show the four-cylinder NSU prototype that’s rumoured to be the basis for the first Honda Four. If it does appear, it will be at Schotten, which is now the largest classic bike race meeting in Germany and the only place to see some of the best German racing and historic motorcycles in an appropriate historic setting.

Buyers Guide: The Swallows that DID make a summer

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:17:00 -0400

1954-55 Triumph-based, Swallow Doretti roadsters have a loyal, worldwide following, and 200 of the 276 that were built are still on the road

The Swallow Doretti is an interesting footnote among early ’50s British sports cars. Only 276 were made in 1954-55, but around 200 of those survive, with a loyal following. If you see one, chances are you will identify it by what it’s not, until you are close enough to see the badge. The grille looks like a Ferrari, the cowl and tail resemble a Healey 100.

The company that built the Doretti roadster is the same Swallow Sidecar Company that William Lyons and Fred Walmsley started in 1922, which evolved into SS cars in 1933 and eventually became Jaguar. The Swallow Coachbuilding Co was sold in 1945 and bought by Tube Investments in Staffordshire.

Meanwhile in 1950 Los Angeles, California, engineer Arthur Anderson was running his own thinwall tubing business. He and his daughter, Dorothy Deen, were driving English sports cars but were unable to find the accessories they wanted. So the two began making them, and Dorothy ran the new company, called Cal Specialties. The accessories included such items as wind wings, luggage racks, wood-rimmed steering wheels and aluminum valve covers, and the line was called Doretti – an Italian-sounding confection based on Dorothy’s name.

Dorothy was blessed with movie star looks – in period photos, she resembles Doris Day – but she was a car guy, and an extremely sharp businesswoman. As the company prospered, her father went to England to discuss a new form of pipe production with Eric Sanders of Tube Investments. Both were sports car enthusiasts and Sanders introduced Anderson to Sir John Black, who ran Standard-Triumph. The two hit it off and Black agreed that Anderson and his daughter could distribute the new TR2 roadster in the U.S. – along with Sanders’ own Swallow Doretti roadster. Sales would begin in January 1954.

The Doretti was designed by Frank Rainbow, of Tube Investments, who had worked for Bristol Aircraft. It was based on a very strong frame of Reynolds 531 chrome moly tubing, using the Triumph TR2 engine and running gear and covered with an aluminium body.

The Doretti was sturdy and well-finished, but heavier than the TR2 and not as quick. It was also expensive at £1,158 compared with the TR2’s £887. With overdrive, the Doretti was capable of a genuine 100 mph, according to a 1954 test by The Motor, and 0-60 mph came up in 12.9 seconds with gas mileage of 27.9 mpg. At under $3,000 in the U.S., the Doretti competed head-on with the Healey 100 but cost $400 more than the TR2.

In 1954, Dorettis were being built at the rate of one a day by the 18-strong Swallow workforce, and Rainbow was working on the Mk II, called the Sabre. Three were built, two convertibles and a coupe. Meanwhile Tube Investments was hearing grumbles from other car manufacturers that the company was competing with firms to whom it was supplying parts – including Jaguar – and Doretti production was halted suddenly in February 1955.

Ironically, the Swallow Doretti lost its biggest fan when dynamic Sir John Black was injured in the crash of the first Doretti. Black was a passenger with Standard-Triumph’s test driver Ken Richardson when a lorry pulled out in front of them not far from the factory. As Black recovered from his injuries, he was ousted in a coup.

In 1955, California racer Max Balchowsky fitted Buick V-8s into several Swallow Dorettis. The cars were fast, and he offered a $3,700 turn-key conversion, but as Carroll Shelby found out later with the AC Cobra, more power overwhelmed the front suspension and the brakes. The Buick Doretti was a short-lived experiment.

These days, surviving Swallow Dorettis are scattered as far afield as Australia and New Zealand, but the “Patron Saint” of the marque is probably Tom Householder of Lancaster, Ohio. Householder began with the Vintage Triumph Register, and has the best parts connections and the most information about the location and condition of the surviving Dorettis.

“Doretti mechanicals are TR2 and you can get just about everything for them,” Householder says. “There are three major suppliers and you can still find stuff at a tractor store in a pinch. Body panels are the big stumbler for the Doretti, but the aluminum is easier to straighten than steel. I make the grilles, bumpers and floors and other sheet metal that’s unique. I needed them for my own cars and I provide patterns for the trim and pieces.”

You can reach Tom at trhouse@columbus.rr.com and his Web page is http://www.doretti.com/, which will connect you with Swallow Doretti parts, sources and technical information

Hagerty Price Guide lists Swallow Doretti values as ranging from $14,700 to $59,900, but the principal problem is likely to be finding one for sale. The combination of individual elegance, healthy performance and rarity guarantees you’ll be welcome at any sports car meeting, and enjoy the trip there.

Race you to the Kop

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:03:00 -0400

100 years after it was first discovered by hill climb racers, Kop Hill is back in the limelight, and the 2011 event was the biggest gathering yet

Kop Hill is a steep, well-surfaced road on the outskirts of Princess Risborough in Buckinghamshire today, but 100 years ago, it was the site of one of the UK’s toughest hill climbs.

Back then, it was just a steep, hard-packed dirt road, just over ¾ mile long, and rising some 304 feet. The first hill climb attracted 60 racers in April 1910 and it quickly became popular with cars and motorcycles. Ten miles away a similar hill at Aston Clinton also attracted Lionel Martin, driving his own Bamford and Martin car – which would eventually become Aston Martin.

Due to the steepness of the 1-in-4 grade at the upper part of Kop Hill, ruts quickly developed, making it difficult for competitors but spectacular for spectators. Motorcyclists got a 50-yard flying start, which helped them get up the 1-in-8 gradient in the first half, before the 1-in-4 crest defeated many. The ruts didn’t help, nor did a starting canon, which was inadvertently fired in front of a bike competitor in 1913, causing him to crash.

A look through motoring press archives throws up famous names in motorsport at that time. Malcolm Campbell in his 12hp Talbot “Blue Bird” was often among the entries, as was Raymond Mays driving a Bugatti, Henry Segrave in a 2-litre Grand Prix Sunbeam, and Archie Frazer Nash in his Kim II.

Records show that the fastest time recorded for a car was 26.8 seconds by Count Zborowski, driving a GP Ballot with an aero-engine, in 1922. In 1924 well-known motorcycle racer Freddie Dixon recorded a time of 24.8 on a 997cc Harley Davidson. A year later he cut the time to 22.8 seconds on a 736cc Douglas motorcycle, averaging 81mph. Neither of those times was ever beaten.

Period reports describe the events as well-run, but there were increasing concerns about spectator safety and a lack of crowd control. Things came to a head on 28th March 1925, when a bike crashed into the crowd of 3,000 spectators, followed shortly after by a Brescia Bugatti. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries, but as a result, the RAC decided to ban motor sport on public roads.

That was the end of the story until 1999’s Risborough Festival. The Town Council and the Bean Car Club decided to stage a commemorative hill climb and it drew many famous names and vehicles. Despite the success, it was 10 years before the hill climb became an annual event. The 2009 meeting was well-supported, but the turnout for the centennial in 2010 exceeded all expectations. In all, 350 vehicles competed, 300 more were displayed in the paddock, and 8,000 spectators turned up to watch, with a substantial sum raised for local charities.

The 2011 event drew a record number of entries and took place in unseasonably warm weather. Spectators packed the paddock to study the vehicles in depth and were amazed by the technology of the 1904 Electric Waverley and the 1910 steam car driving around with a 103-year-old passenger.

A record 11,500 spectators lined the wooded hill, taking advantage of the viewing platforms. More than £40,000 was raised for local charities and modern trade stands included Aston Martin, Citroen, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Koenigsegg.

Nowadays, the hill itself is 860 metres long and well-surfaced. It starts with a gradual slope, is 1-in-6 at the half way mark and steepens to 1-in-4. The run finishes just before the summit, and vehicles return to the paddock on public roads.

The list of car and motorcycle entrants reads like an automotive encyclopedia. The oldest car was a 1903 Humber Humberette, while the oldest bike was a1913 Rudge Multi. Many made the top with ease, but some had to back down. Ironically, the Bugatti that caused the event to be banned all those years ago was back to compete.

Notable celebrities with a passion for cars had a run or two up the hill, including DJ Chris Evans in one of his 11 Ferraris. Local pop star Jay Kay ran his Dodge Charger and the unique Ferrari 330 GT Vignale Shooting Brake up the hill, to the delight of the crowd.

If you missed this year, a provisional date of 22/23 September has been set for 2012.

Barn find with unique history is honored after 12-year restoration

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:33:00 -0400

It is easy to earn an invite to the most exclusive classic car collector events world-wide, such as Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza, Salon Privé and Pebble Beach.

Just make sure your family owned a very special car – in this case, a 1932 Rolls-Royce 20/25. Also, it helps if the car has a fascinating history and truly international background, with a series of quite remarkable owners – this one started with a UK chassis and Swiss coachwork, was owned by the king of Afghanistan’s brother, endured an “unwelcome bath” in Lake Geneva in 1939, was used in Rome during Mussolini’s dictatorship, had a stint in Austria, a sojourn in England and an even longer one in the USA. There should be a mystery surrounding it, like the 35 years of silent absence until it emerged, forlorn and forgotten, in barn-find condition in America.

Of course, a tale of spooky coincidences and romantic searches does not, in itself, secure a worldwide tour at the top concours d’élegance.

“I had all but given up on my search,” said Richard Raynsford, whose relentless quest to find the Rolls-Royce, which at one stage belonged to his family, finally came to an end by random chance when he spotted a photo of it, in poor condition and a continent away. Raynsford called upon the services of the oldest pre-war Rolls-Royce specialist in the UK, Dr. Will Fiennes of Fiennes Restoration, to return the car to its original glory.

“Fire had damaged the Rolls-Royce, but earlier attempts to repair it had damaged it even further,” said Fiennes. “The hood (convertible) mechanism, which is very complicated, was significantly distorted. This was not obvious to start with, as it had been extensively repaired in the U.S., but the repairs masked the problems. The hood had to be dismantled and realigned using laser tools, then carefully reassembled.”

Original interior detail, like trim and seats, had not survived the fire. “Many details had to be recreated: door handles, seat-adjusters, seat-hinge mechanisms, external chrome body trims.”

Wherever possible, the restoration route was preferred. “The windscreen frame is made out of polished aluminium rather than chrome-plated brass, as are the cappings fitted to the doors’ top edges. It is a feature of that particular model and one we were keen to protect: they had not been destroyed in the fire but – as they are quite delicate – being able to restore them was a real achievement.’

After more than 10,000 man-hours, a 12-year restoration and the effort of an entire team, the Rolls-Royce 20/25 drop-head coupé was ready to woo again: After Villa d’Este and its Concorso d’Eleganza, it won the Masters Class rosette at the RREC Concours and Rally, and “Best in Class” at Salon Prive’ in London before returning to the States in very different conditions than when she left.

The car won two awards at this year’s most exclusive and competitive automotive event in the world: the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elégance. Added to the Best in Class at the RROC National Meet (Lake Tahoe) two days before, it brings the total of awards won by Fiennes Restoration in the USA to three.

Fiennes Restoration’s entry in the Rolls-Royce Class, which won “Second,” beat Phantoms and Silver Ghosts in the competition, and was the only Rolls-Royce in the class whose coachwork had not been made in the U.S. It is the first time a “small” Rolls-Royce has won at Pebble Beach – small horsepower is no disincentive in a contest that values overall excellence rather than outright performance.

The Rolls-Royce-sponsored Lucius Beebe Trophy was also awarded to Fiennes Restoration, as it celebrates the accurate interpretation of both an era and a model’s individual essence.

“We are thrilled to have been awarded not one, but two awards at the most spectacular classic automotive event in the world,” said Dr. Will Fiennes. “Together with the Best in Class prize, which we won at the RROC’s National Meet at Lake Tahoe just before Pebble Beach, we come back to the UK with a hat-trick of international awards in recognition of British manufacturing excellence.”

Motorbook seller Chater's moves to gain showroom space

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 14:00:00 -0400

Colin Wilson reports that Chater's, the UK's leading motor and motorsport bookseller, is heading back to Hook, Hampshire, to newly refurbished premises which will increase the company's floor space and include a customer showroom. The move will take place on Monday 10 October.

The family business has served motor racing and automotive enthusiasts since 1957, attending around 60 events across Europe each year and providing a lifeline to specialist authors and niche publishers. It holds in excess of 10,000 specialist book and DVD titles in stock at any one time.

Chater's Managing Director, Clive Stroud, says the decision to relocate to London Road, Hook, was taken to strengthen customer relations and provide a showroom “where a warm welcome awaits, along with a dedicated area to sit, talk and browse, as well as ample parking."

Chater's Motoring Booksellers will relocate to Unit 25/26, Murrell Green Business Park, London Road, Hook, RG27 9GR. The showroom will be open each weekday, from 9am to 5.30pm. For more information, email books@chaters.co.uk.

H&H Auctions hits the classic rally trail

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 10:47:00 -0400

Company plans worldwide events, beginning with 3,000km trek around India in 2012

Already one of Europe’s largest auctioneers of collector cars, H&H Auctions also participates in historic car events, and Managing Director Simon Hope and the rest of his staff regularly race and rally. Now the company has created a subsidiary aimed at improving the organisation of classic rallies worldwide.

H&H Classic Rallies has been established by enthusiasts seeking better events, and professionals with years of experience in planning. Key personnel are: Managing Director Liz Wenman and husband David (veterans of the Peking to Paris); Rally Director John Brigden (12 years’ experience, organising the Himalaya, Tiger, Maya and Cuba classic rallies, and manager of the last Works Mini rally team with Paddy Hopkirk as lead driver); and Clerk of The Course John Trevethick, who worked with the late Nick Brittan on his epic London to Sydney Marathons.

The team intends to make sure participants enjoy every minute of their events, which will be a combination of sporting and regularity stages for the more competitive entrants and touring classes for fellow travelers.

Said Liz Wenman, “Having competed in a number of events where we only ever saw culture through our rearview mirror, and some of the accommodation was lacking in charm, I wanted to create rallies that were memorable for all the right reasons. Top of the list is a good adventure, followed by a broad range of countries as well as customer service and the best possible accommodation.”

The new company’s first event is the 3,000km Rally of Rajas –India’s largest province in the desert Northwest –in February 2012. The rally for Pre-1972 vehicles will stay at some of the world’s finest hotels and combine competitive stages with visits to historic forts, palaces and exotic temples, as well as the incomparable Taj Mahal.

From 2013 the company plans one signature rally each year, plus a couple of shorter ones. The inaugural “might One” will be staged in South America. For more details, click here.

Marque biography sets high standard

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 16:15:00 -0400

Erratic leader Sir John Black casts a giant shadow over fascinating story

It comes as no surprise to discover that Graham Robson, the author of Veloce’s excellent new The Book of the Standard Motor Company actually worked there, running the Standard-Triumph motorsports operation in the early 1960s. There are so many insights and asides, and charts and informational graphics that it’s obvious Robson is very well-connected. To find he was actually there makes perfect sense.

Standard dates to the dawn of the motor industry in the UK, with The Autocar announcing the company’s existence in June 6, 1903. By the time the company faded away in the British Leyland takeover 60 years later, 200,000 Standards had been built prior to WWII and more than one million Standards and Triumphs between 1946 and 1963.

The company flourished in Edwardian times, with some enormous 6-cylinder cars, and built RE-8, BE-12 and Sopwith Pup aircraft during WWI. In the ’20s, they settled into well-made obscurity, flirting with bankruptcy in 1927 and only dodging the bullet through a humble side-valve, nine-horsepower compact.

The Book of the Standard Motor Company
By Graham Robson
Veloce Publishing
208 pages
£35 ($69.95 US)
ISBN 978-1-845843-43-4
www.veloce.co.uk
www.velocebooks.com

With the exception of providing tuned, 6-cylinder engines to SS-Jaguar in the 1930s, most pre-war Standards were dull, middle-of-the-road machines, depending on flathead 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines with modest power outputs to compete with Austin, Morris and Ford in mid- and lower-priced ranges. There was a 20-horsepower V-8 in 1936-38, which bore an eerie resemblance to Ford’s 60 hp engine, but it was too expensive to build and didn’t last. Raymond Mays – the brain behind the ERA racers – toyed with the idea of a sports car based on the V-8 motor, but few were made. Despite the title “Flying” that preceded the eight-, nine- 12-, 14- and 16-horsepower models, the only really speedy item was the handsome waterfall grille.

The marketing drive which saw Standard turn from building slow boxes to at least slow, stylish cars can be laid at the feet of John Black, who came to Standard as general manager from Hillman in 1929. He might have been safe there, married to one of the Hillman daughters, but Hillman had merged with Humber and the Commer truck company and the controlling interest belonged to the meddlesome Rootes family. Black joined Standard as temporary assistant to owner Dick Maudslay but eventually proved invaluable, taking control of planning and production, being knighted for the company’s aircraft work in 1943 and surviving all the way to a boardroom coup in 1954.

Standard prospered through WW2, building Blenheim bombers, twin-engined Beaufighters and the superb Mosquito, and eventually even Rolls-Royce jet engines. Black was able to buy the bankrupt Triumph company in 1944 and followed up with a 1945 contract to build tractors for the dynamic Harry Ferguson. The two butted heads, but the contract lasted until 1959, when Ferguson sold out to Massey-Harris, and Standard made a lot of money from it, with the 500,000th tractor being built in 1956.

Pre-WWII Standards and Triumphs are rare, so most collectors know the companies from the post-war cars. The first new Standards were warmed-over 8’s, 12’s and 14’s, but reborn Triumph started fresh, with the razor-edge Renown sedan in 1946-54 and the similar, chunky Mayflower from 1950-54. The sporting Triumph 1800-2000 roadster is probably the last car to be made with a rumble seat and many of the 4,500 built from 1946-49 went overseas.

Meanwhile Standard came out with the bizarre (and now quite rare) 1948 Vanguard sedan, which was copied from a 1948 Plymouth, shrunk down to a very short 96-inch wheelbase. It was roomy, but tubby, and did not like corners; however, its excellent wet-liner 2-liter engine powered the Morgan Plus 4, Triumph TR2, TR3 and TR4 sports cars through the 1960s.

The brilliant but increasingly erratic Sir John Black was ousted in 1954 and, deprived of his energy, perhaps, the company went into a decline, finally being sold to British Leyland in 1961. By this time, the term Standard had ceased to mean quality, but had been downgraded by terms such as de Luxe and Super, to mean mediocre. The Vanguard had never really been replaced and redesigns looked dowdy, while the solid little Eight and Ten saloons were consistently outsold by the Austin A30 and A40, the Morris Minor and the Ford Anglia and Prefect.

Triumph, on the other hand, went from strength to strength, and the 1959 Herald 4- cylinder and 1962 6-cylinder Vitesse would lead to a new generation of sports cars like the Spitfire, GT6 coupe and TR4, TR5 and TR6 roadsters. The last Standard left the factory in May 1963.

The Book of the Standard is an excellent reference work for students of the marque, but it’s also quite an adventure story, with John Black’s shadow looming over every page.

Never Cry Woof

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 10:36:00 -0400

Canine companions are the ultimate classic car accessory

In the 1930s, Concours d’Elegances in the Bois de Boulogne in Paris featured stylish models whose haut couture complemented the colors of the dashing convertibles they were presenting. The cars’ real owners were often immensely wealthy, though not particularly photogenic, and understood the value of victory at any price.

An exception was English-born Folies Bergere dancer Stella Mudge (later the Maharani of Kapurthala) who had her own Talbot-Lago T150 SS teardrop coupe painted to match her favorite couture, leaving no doubt whose film she was in.

In the same vein, pets would be chosen to match the Delages, Delahayes, Hispano-Suizas, Isotta-Fraschinis, Minervas, Alfa Romeos, Lancias, Bentleys and Mercedes-Benzes. You might see the occasional ocelot, or young jaguar on a leash, but most companions would be dogs, preferably slinky, lean and leggy, like their minders.

This is something of a lost art these days, but dogs may be seen occasionally who just absolutely suit their owners and vehicles. They are part of the show. Here are a few:

Winston the English Bulldog
Winston is brown and white and at seven years old, he doesn’t get around as well as he used to. But he loves riding with his owner Ascoigne d’Ascoigne in his 1927 3-Liter Bentley Le Mans replica, around the village of Newington Bagpath, in Gloucestershire. Winston has his own flying goggles and a white silk scarf, a tribute to handlebar-mustachioed d’Ascoigne’s record as one of “The Few.” Neither of them sees very well, so they wave and bark at everyone.

Monsieur the Standard Poodle
Monsieur is black and almost 30 inches tall at the shoulder. He is devoted to retired Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment Capitaine Henri LaValle, who has an apartment in Paris and an estate in Southwest France. LaValle drives an immaculate 1974 Citroen DS23 Break and Monsieur sits very straight beside him. The two hunt wildfowl in the Camargue wilderness together. The only attempt by the Capitaine’s late wife Marie to trim Monsieur to a show clip was quickly abandoned at a rumbling growl.

Destiny the Afghan Hound
Destiny belongs to fashion designer Arabella (nee Mary Ann Walchovsky), known for her “gypsy fortune teller” style of clothing. Destiny is a gold Afghan frequently seen around New York’s garment district, riding in Arabella’s yellow 2012 Fiat 500 convertible with the top open, so that she can see out. Destiny’s hairdresser Fabrika (Diane Wattenberg-Ramirez) is often seen socially with Arabella and has conceived similar hairstyles and coloring for the two women, to complement the dog. As a sight hound, Destiny is not to be trusted around small animals.

Prince Charles the Old English Sheepdog
Prince Charles belongs to well-known Scottish rock star David Slade, who is now a country gentleman, having disbanded The Raging Filth. With his German-born wife Erika and two children, Slade bought rundown Craigievar castle in the Highlands, where he practices golf and single malt scotch. In tweed jackets and plus fours, Slade drives a rundown 1963 Aston Martin DB6 shooting brake that came with the property. Now gray-haired, Slade no longer shaves his head and he and 100-pound Prince Charles (“friendly but not too bright,” says Slade) look somewhat alike in the car.

Sparkplug the Jack Russell Terrier
Sparkplug is the lifelong companion of desert racer Terry “Mad Man” McIlhenny, of Bakersfield, Calif. White with a brown patch over one eye, he was first filmed riding a piece of carpet on the tank of McIlhenny’s 500cc scrambler, during the Baja 1000 Mexican race. Like his owner, Sparkplug made the jump to racing dune buggies, then Ford pickups. The two can often be seen in McIlhenny’s 1977 lime-green Jeep Wrangler, with its 24-inch lift kit, giant tyres and roll cage. It has no windshield, so they sport similar dark goggles. Luckily, Sparkplug is still agile enough to jump up to the carpet-covered right seat.

Harris the Yorkshire Terrier
Harris accompanies rural postman Steve Yost on his daily deliveries in Yorkshire’s North Riding, as he has for 14 years. The black and tan, seven-pound dog “is better known than me,” says Yost, who says the biggest problem is stopping little old ladies from feeding Harris dog biscuits. “That, and he won’t get out of the van, when it’s snowing,” says Yost, whose 2009 Peugeot Bipper postal van takes him onto the moors and into villages around Whitby. Yost’s solution is to stuff Harris into the front of his coat on snowy days.

Sabrina the Miniature Poodle
Sabrina spends warm evenings in Modesto, California cruising with Walt and Mabel Merryman (Class of ‘63) in their pink and white 1955 Ford Sunliner convertible, complete with continental spare. Sabrina has developed quite a taste for In-and-Out hamburgers and the veterinarian says she will have to go on a diet (along with Mabel). Walt says he’s just robust, and cracks that when he can’t get under a sink anymore, he’ll quit being a plumber. They’ve had their car for 15 years and it’s won a shelf-full of trophies, especially since Mabel’s white curly hair now matches Sabrina’s coat, complementing her flounced skirt, with its embroidered poodle design.

Satan the German Shepherd
Steve Deeds (not his real name) has lived in a battered caravan in Northern Idaho for three years, ever since his uncle died and left it to him. He’s off the beaten track, which is why he flies a controversial Confederate flag. He got Satan (then called Dave) two years ago from a friend who had to leave the country suddenly. He was hoping to train him as an attack dog, but Satan is too smart for that, and Steve is aware he is too big to threaten one-on-one. An uneasy truce exists between the tattooed, pierced skinhead with his permanent wrap-around sunglasses, and the coal-black dog, but Satan loves to ride in the back of Steve’s battered 1961 Dodge step-side pickup and bark at everything.

Military Wildcat built for a different kind of Raid

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 11:24:00 -0400

Off-road rocket offers 106 mph, 1,250-mile range

Off-road vehicle manufacturer Supacat is launching a military variant of its Rally Raid proven Wildcat racer as a high-performance vehicle for special forces, border patrol, reconnaissance, rapid intervention or strike roles.

Intended to fill the gap between lightweight platforms such as quad bikes and heavier, more specialist Jackal 4X4 and 6X6 high-mobility trucks, the V-8-powered Wildcat offers 106 mph top speed and 1,250-mile range in extreme conditions. Supacat and QT Services have combined to offer a military variant of their succssful Paris-Dakar race car at an affordable (in military terms, anyway) price of £250,000. The modification of an entire UK vehicle from the motorsport industry into a military role is believed to be an industry first.

Supacat has partnered with Wildcat Design Authority and manufacturer QT Services, to militarise the Wildcat DKR, including integrating various systems and developing a variety of lightweight armour solutions, weapons and communications systems. These include a remote-controlled machine gun on the roof, which can be directed and fired while the vehicle is in motion at speed, over uneven ground. A militarised variant of the Wildcat will be shown at the Defence Security and Equipment International Exhibition in London’s Docklands in September.

“This is the first time we've taken an entire platform from the racing sector and marketed it into defence. It's very exciting," said Jamie Clarke, Sales and Marketing Manager of Supacat.

The Wildcat has a tubular space-frame chassis and long-travel suspension with a race-proven record. It might seem hefty at 5,687 pounds, which includes armour, but it’s still air portable (again, in military terms). The Wildcat is available with air conditioning to reduce crew fatigue and also shares parts with Land Rover, which simplifies maintenance for military customers who have Land Rovers already in service.

Check out this video of the Wildcat in action at the company’s proving grounds in Devon.

How to inspect the classic of your dreams

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:10:00 -0400

Given the nature of classic cars, it is surprising how many people are happy to purchase an older vehicle without the most basic of inspections. Many common problems such as hidden corrosion, mechanical issues, incorrect documentation and non-original parts may all be discoverable prior to purchase, and this could save you a great deal of money and heartache in the long run. This quick guide provides pointers to help you ensure that buying your dream classic doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

Do your research. Check out the model first, and find out what to look out for. All classics have at least one Achilles’ heel, and by joining the owners club or forum, or speaking to current owners, you’ll soon find out more. If you are set on a specific car, do more detailed research to find out about the car’s history, adding provenance and potentially value. There are a few specialist companies that can do this for you.

Take someone who knows. When you view the car, try to bring a classic car expert along with you. General mechanics may be able to spot obvious faults, but originality also makes a lot of difference to value. If you can get a marque expert, all the better. Again, there are companies that will perform this service for you.

Check the paperwork and numbers. Check the V5C against the actual numbers on the car. The numbers are different more often than you would expect. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything “dodgy” is going on, but it is well worth checking with HPI just in case. Check all the service records or history file entries, too − does the mileage grow steadily, or have there been periods when the car was off the road? If there is no history, you should ask why.

Inspect the car methodically. Write a list before you go and tick it off. Break the car down into areas: bodywork, running gear, engine, interior, electrical. Now start at one place and work methodically around the car. Don’t let the owner rush you or draw your eye elsewhere. Use your eyes and your fingers to feel for problems: Rust tends to accumulate around those areas where moisture and dirt get trapped (valances, sills, arches, chassis). Are these areas lumpy with filler, do the panels feel “thick,” have they recently been oversprayed? Do the doors, bonnet and boot fit properly? Is the chassis bent? (Look underneath and in the engine bay.) Look for oil leaks (although don’t be too surprised when you find them). Feel the “play” in wheel hubs, propshafts and steering (again, a little is to be expected). Mechanically, has the car been looked after, or does it have old spark plugs, thick black oil and old, cracked fuel pipes? With the engine running, look and listen for knocking, tapping and leaks, and look to see whether oil pressure and water temperature stay in the right zones. Look at the tyres for unusual wear and sidewall cracking (which can be extremely dangerous). Check that all trim is there and electrical items work − these can be very expensive to replace.

Test drive it. Finally, assuming you want to drive the car and not just look at it − take it out! Does it run, steer and stop the way it should? Again, if you are not used to driving the car then get someone who knows older cars to help, as classics very rarely drive like modern vehicles.

We all know that no classic car is perfect, but we would prefer to know what we are buying, and that’s why having an inspection done can save you a great deal of time and money, and allows you full enjoyment of your pride and joy. And remember − if the inspection identifies a problem, speak to the seller. You never know; he may just knock a little off and make that new purchase all the sweeter.

John Mayhead is Managing Director of Classic Status Report , providing UK-wide classic car inspections and historical research. Call 0845 5396639 or email mail@classicstatusreport.com .

Photo Gallery: Silverstone Classic

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:02:00 -0400

Hagerty recently attended the "World's Biggest Classic Motor Racing Festival" - The Silverstone Classic. Check out our gallery of more than 300 photos from this exciting event.

Top five things to consider when insuring your classic car

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

With the recent announcement that the government are clamping down on uninsured motorists, it is even more essential to ensure that you have the right insurance for your car. Did you know that registered keepers identified as having an uninsured vehicle will be sent a letter telling them that their vehicle appears to be uninsured, and warning them of the consequences if they fail to take action? Those who do not act on this warning - either by taking out insurance or declaring their vehicle off the road - will receive a £100 fine and could have their vehicle clamped, seized and destroyed. They may also face a court prosecution.

Hagerty International offers the following top five things to consider when insuring your classic car.

1) Obtain a specialty classic car insurance policy rather than a regular use policy; it will usually save you money. Since specialty insurers understand that the risk for loss is far less in a classic car than in a regular-use car, the premiums are often much lower.

2) Look for a policy with Agreed Value coverage. This means your car’s value will not be depreciated at the time of a total loss. Market Value policies can potentially depreciate your car’s value, reducing the amount of your claim. Please check the terms of the policy to ensure that you comply with the provisions of this cover.

3) Don’t Let Your Cover Lapse. The DVLA will fine uninsured motorists £100 and potentially crush your classic if you do not declare the car as SORN and let your cover expire. This is a nationwide clamp down on uninsured drivers and shows that the regulatory body is getting stricter with their rules.

4) Research mileage options. Insurance companies can sometimes provide cheaper rates for lower mileage options. Make sure you get the right mileage allowance for your car and are not being overcharged for unlimited mileage policies.

5) Review your policy details. Ask your potential insurance company if they will cover additional drivers, spare parts, tools, high-valued modifications and paint jobs in the event of damage or theft.

For a PDF containing this information, click here.

Pioneer Run is a moving tribute to industry pioneers

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:50:00 -0400

The 73rd Pioneer Run gathers the cream of pre-1914 veteran motorcycles (and equally veteran riders) for a world-class, two-wheeled version of the London-to-Brighton Run .

An unusually mild Sunday morning on Epsom Downs surprised 371 participants in the 73rd Pioneer Run, organised by the Sunbeam Motorcycle Club. The traditional event for veteran motorcycles remained sunny as bikes, sidecars, tricycles and forecars put-putted 40 miles to Brighton seafront.

While such a run would be nothing for a modern machine, many participating bikes have primitive stirrup brakes (sometimes only on one wheel), and no clutches or suspension. Many riders are nearly as old as their bikes and also have to pump oil into the engine and juggle air and ignition levers, while dealing with modern traffic.

Entries are divided into three classes: the first string from 1896 to 1904, the next from 1905 to 1909 and the largest class from 1910 to 1914. The latter class is the easiest to ride, as many have clutches and gears, though they still require concentration to maintain forward motion.

The Pioneer Run is a moving tribute to industry pioneers, those manufacturers and riders who helped motorcycles evolve as transportation, sport and recreation. Many of these machines show a fair turn of speed and cope well with modern traffic conditions, while others need plenty of light pedal assistance (LPA) to climb the hills.

Not only can these bikes be seen threading their way to Brighton, but both the start and finish areas are packed with spectators’ machinery that spans the history of motorcycling.

Only a small percentage fail to take the chequer under their own power, but a finisher’s award brings additional satisfaction if it’s gained without too much drama. Some competitors even ride home in the afternoon, though many trailer their bikes.

The first Pioneer Run was organised by the Sunbeam Club in 1930. It was open to machines made prior to 1915 and it started from the old Croydon Aerodrome, which had just been named London Airport. In explaining the entry classes, the club stated: ‘the first five years were spent endeavouring to design motorcycles, the second five years to refine them to run reliably and the third five years to refine them still further to run beautifully.’

The motorcycle press of 1930 promoted the inaugural Pioneer Run as highly successful and reported that there were “tens of thousands of motorcyclists lining the route.” As a result perhaps, the next run started at the larger railway yard at Tattenham Corner in Epsom, where it still begins. There was a one-year-only launch from Westminster bridge, but perhaps the rudimentary clutch and brake arrangements on many bikes made the London traffic too much of a challenge. In any event the Pioneer Run has always ended on Brighton promenade.

Since tricycles and forecars were evolving alongside two-wheeled machines before WWI, they are allowed in both car and bike events. The early years of the Pioneer Run were also casual about exact dating, so the Pioneer Register was established in 1938 to ensure the historical accuracy of the machines taking part. By 1950 more than 200 machines were registered and today more than 1,800 machines are deemed to be period correct (i.e., manufactured before 31st December 1914).

The Sunbeam Club still organise the event. Machines without a dating certificate are not permitted to enter, though the club acknowledge that some machines were incorrectly certified in the early days. The current owners of such bikes are "grandfathered in" but the next owner will have to relinquish the certificate.

In the same vein, the club works hard to keep out replicas fabricated from a few original parts with new frames. More and more machines are coming to light, (around 30 to 40 each year, including in Europe) but the onus is always on the owner to prove the bike's age.

The Pioneer Run retains its status as the premier event in the world for such veteran machines and it’s also a great spectator event. Now’s a good time to seek out an eligible machine for the 74th event in March 2012; you’ve even got time to rebuild it.

Can the TT races go global?

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 15:40:00 -0400

The Isle of Man looks to extend its franchise to other countries and its government calls for bids from promoters to recreate the world’s most exciting - and dangerous - race series.

The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy races just celebrated the centennial of the 37.75-mile Mountain Course and had another stunning year’s TV coverage, bringing the event into more homes worldwide. In fact, these historic races get more media coverage today than when the TT formed part of the World Championship race series.

Clever marketing has seen the likes of Valentino Rossi and other Moto GP legends flown in to ride parade laps and attract even more coverage and visitors to the island, helping its economy. There is no doubt that professional marketing and public relations, and innovative features like the TT Zero for electric bikes, have seen the races start to repay the considerable investment by the local government in securing the TT’s future.

As a committed TT fan of 34 years, I am delighted that this unique event continues to flourish and present the ultimate road racing challenge. In a world full of health and safety concerns, these races continue to represent the pinnacle of competitive risk and reward.

Earlier this year, the Isle of Man Government Department of Economic Development, who are the commercial rights holders for the TT Races, announced their intention to look into creating a TT Races World Championship. The latest step is to invite individuals or organisations to bid for the rights to research capitalising on the popularity of the TT Races, by creating additional revenue streams. Such income would come from sponsorship, television, licensing and hospitality.

The TT organizers anticipate that other countries could host rounds of the proposed championships, and benefit from sponsorship and coverage. As a result, the Isle of Man would get licensing income and increased publicity, which would help promote it as a worldwide business centre.

I used the word “unique” to describe the TT races, and it was carefully chosen. Northern Ireland’s Ulster and Northwest events don’t carry the same interest, despite being run on pure road circuits like the TT. Even the Southern 100 road races held at Castletown on the Isle of Man don’t have the same magic, despite many TT riders competing in them.

The TT’s very specific location and the riders it attracts could be the biggest reasons a worldwide series would never work. Many riders are not professionals and save all their money and vacation to take on the TT challenge. They simply couldn’t afford to travel the world to race elsewhere.

In addition, pure road racing is so different and so much more dangerous than racing on purpose-built tracks, that many professional Moto GP and World Superbike riders won’t accept the risks. This is why they boycotted the TT in the 1970s, leading to its being removed from the World Championship circuit.

Even today, comments from Moto GP champions like Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Mick Doohan and Nicky Hayden are uniform, after just one parade lap. They think a 229-turn, 37-mile road course, in which riders average 125+ mph between stone walls for 226 miles, is much too dangerous. With a few exceptions, such as Geoff Duke, John Surtees and Carl Fogerty, history has also shown that good road racers do not make good track racers, and vice versa.

Lastly of course, what makes the TT unique is its history, micro-climate, and most of all, the Manx people. I don’t think the event can be recreated elsewhere. Most other road circuits are long gone for safety reasons, apart from Macau near Hong Kong, which is truly a different world.

Imagine trying to recreate Florida’s Daytona Speedway elsewhere: You could build a banked tri-oval, but it wouldn’t be Daytona. In a similar vein, the Japanese cruisers may emulate Harley-Davidson, but they will never be such a bike to the rider who wants a Harley for its history and image. Finally, you may have a cat with no tail, but if it didn’t come from the Isle of Man, it’s not a Manx.

I look forward to the results of the study and I’m open to creative ideas, but I suspect that money spent on the feasibility study could be better used reducing the expense of competing at the TT, and easing travel costs for spectators.

Down and Dirty: Dellow Trials Specials get you closer to nature

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:41:00 -0400

Why you want one: A man can’t breathe over 60 mph anyway

Off-Road Trials are usually associated with specialized motorcycles, but the term traces back to Reliability Trials for both cars and bikes on primitive roads in the early 20th century. When those roads improved in the 1920s, trials went off-road and both cars and bikes were adapted to muddy, steep and rocky terrain.

Most 1930s trials cars were “specials” adapted by their owners from Austin 7 and Ford 10 sedans into ungainly two-seaters with high ground clearance and much of their weight over the back wheels. But after WWII, Ken Delingpole and Ron Lowe combined their names and considerable experience to build the Dellow from 1949-57.

Though only about 250 cars were constructed, the Dellow Register has tracked 215 of them, and these Spartan roadsters represent a remarkable experience in what you might call “biplane” motoring. They are noisy, bouncy, hard to keep in a straight line at 60 mph (and take 20.6 seconds to get there) but are able to go absolutely anywhere and are lots of elemental fun.

The two constructors combined useful skills - Delingpole owned Delson & Co., which manufactured bolts, screws and fastenings, at Alvechurch outside Birmingham. Both were trials competitors, with Delingpole driving an H.R.G and Lowe his own special, derived from a wrecked 1934 Austin 7 sedan. Lowe fitted a 1172cc Ford 10 flathead engine and transmission and subsequently added Ford axles front and back. He drove his car daily and it was known as “Flipper” – which describes what can happen if you run out of power on a steep hill.

In 1947, the new company started to produce copies of Lowe’s car. The construction was actually quite sophisticated (in its thinking at least). The first cars were rebuilt from Austin 7s and a tube steel frame was welded to the chassis and wrapped with an aluminum body, designed by Lionel Evans of Radpanels. The technique is referred to as “superleggera” (superlight) construction when it’s applied by Bertone, Pinin Farina and Scaglietti.

By 1950, Dellow had advanced to frames built from 3¼-inch tubes formerly used by Hawker Typhoons and Bristol Beaufighters to fire rockets at tanks and trains in the recent unpleasantness in Europe. The company was also agent for Wade-Ventor superchargers, which added useful power, and 60 cars were sold that year.

The MkII was introduced in 1951. It had a lower bonnet and a redesigned rear suspension to include coil springs for more travel than the previous quarter-elliptics. It also located the rear axle more firmly, for directional stability. Doors were now optional. The road-going MkII was still reasonably competitive, but trials cars were getting more specialized and when Walter Waring won the RAC Trials Championship in 1951 it was in a radical special with the engine set far back in the frame. Nevertheless, 1951 production reached a high of 72 cars.

Looking to broaden their base, Dellow launched the four-seater MkIII in 1952, though an extra 12 inches in wheelbase meant it was not handy in the woods. And at 1,214 pounds, it was 64 pounds heavier than the MKII and cost a hefty £841 10s – more than double the price of a Ford Popular. Only 24 cars were sold that year, but 10 were MkIIIs.

In 1953 a slew of new sports cars hit the market and hit the specialists very hard. The Austin-Healey 100 and the Triumph TR2 were genuine 100-mph road cars with major factory support. The fact that Dellow won the Daily Express Rally and twice won the Circuit of Ireland Trial didn’t help sales, which continued to skid.

Returning to their first love, Lowe and Delingpole built another serious trials car for works driver Tony Marsh, with coil springs all round and a lower body. It reached production as the MkV, but did not get the 1508cc OHV Ford Consul motor that the makers hoped, due to problems with availability and high costs. Dellow had to settle for the 100E 1172cc side-valve engine, though an inlet-over-exhaust valve Aquaplane head and twin SU carburettors could generate 42 horsepower. The MkIV four-seater didn’t help, and while a foray into the American market brought good reports, only 15 cars were sold in 1955.

In January 1956, Dellow was sold to trials enthusiast Neville Nightingale, who ran into the same problems. He could still sell MkIIs, but he didn’t make much money, and the cars weren’t competitive or very streetable. So he divided his efforts by building a pure trials car, which turned out not to be practical, and the MkVI, an aluminum-bodied streamlined roadster which didn’t appeal to Dellow fans. The business soldiered on until 1960, mostly providing spares and service.

Dellows represent an enjoyable alternative for the “goggles and gauntlets” enthusiast. They are simple – the mechanical parts are cheap and easy to find – and the overall concept is sophisticated enough to reward tuning. The Dellow Register (http://www.dellowregister.co.uk/) is encyclopedic in its knowledge and care of members, and events are well-attended. Best of all, perhaps, the cars have a specialised purpose, and if you’ve never entered a trials, you’ve missed a lot. As they say: don’t buy a working dog unless you have a job for it to do.

Dellows remain relative bargains, if not very easy to find. A very nice MkI sold for £10,442 at H&H Auction in Buxton in April 2009, and the auction reporter deemed it a good buy for a clean, competitive trials car.

Dellow MkI-V Trials Specials

Years built: 1949-57
Production: 250 approx
Engine: 1172cc SV and IOE 4-cylinder
Horsepower: 35-42 hp at 4,500 rpm
Top speed: 65-74 mph

Young drivers learn to shift classics

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 15:31:00 -0400

The cars have cooled and cones have been packed up - the first-ever Hagerty Driving Experience has run its course.

Through this Operation Ignite! initiative – held Friday, 8th July, at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan – young drivers between 15 and 20 years old had the chance to celebrate Collector Car Appreciation Day behind the wheel of classic cars learning to drive a manual transmission.

The day began with a short classroom session, in which more than 30 young adults learned the basics of how a clutch and transmission work. Participants then entered the closed course and received one-on-one driver training from classic car owners.

Each participant had the choice of a 1928 Packard Phaeton, 1930 Ford Model A Tudor sedan, 1940 Buick Super convertible, 1955 Porsche 356 Cabriolet or 1963 Corvette “split window” coupe. Two modern cars were also available – a 2011 Camaro SS convertible from Ken Lingenfelter (Lingenfelter Performance) and a 2011 Ford Mustang GT coupe provided by Ford.

Not only did the young people learn to drive these cool cars, they also learned the basics of taking care of their own cars during a “Car Care Essentials” seminar. Instruction was given on checking fluids, tire pressure, battery connection and safety.

“In order to keep classics on the road for future generations to enjoy, we have to give youth access to these rare cars and teach them the ins and outs of driving such unique vehicles,” said McKeel Hagerty, CEO of Hagerty Insurance. “The feedback we received was incredible. They really seemed to embrace the event.”

'The Prisoner' Moke escapes from Holland

Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:15:00 -0400

In a lucky find, one of four Mini Mokes used in the television show “The Prisoner” was recently discovered practically complete in a Holland barn.

You may recall that “The Prisoner,” which aired in the late 1960s, was the brainchild of “Danger Man” actor Patrick McGoohan. In “The Prisoner” he was also director/co-producer/creator/theme-music-writer, and his allegorical tale concerned the retirement/imprisonment of a spy who knew too much. Historians have long argued whether he was retiring his character John Drake from the previous series.

The series follows an unnamed British agent who abruptly resigns, then finds himself held captive in a mysterious seaside village. The Village is secured by cameras and security forces, including a balloon called Rover that captures those who attempt to escape.

The Village is filled with people from different cultures and each has been assigned a number. The agent inquires of the Village's chief administrator, Number Two, "Who is Number One?" to which Number Two responds, "You are Number Six." The dialogue continues, "We want information," to which the agent responds, "You won't get it!"

The task of extracting information from Number Six is carried out by the ever-changing Number Two, acting for the unseen "Number One." Number Six refuses to co-operate and struggles to concoct his own plans for escape and subvert the operation. By the end of the series, The Village administration becomes fearful of Number Six's growing influence and takes drastic measures.

“The Prisoner” concerns the rights of the individual against collectivism. Surreal storylines include hypnosis, drug experiences, identity theft, mind control and dream manipulation. Though set in a place where motorized transportation seems unnecessary – The Village has boundaries – two iconic automobiles were involved in all 17 episodes.

The first was KAR 120C, the BRG/yellow Lotus Seven shown in the opening credits. But Mini Mokes were also used as taxis in the series (“local service only”) and painted white with red-and-white-striped canvas tops, as well as The Village’s Penny-farthing bicycle image on the hood. Four Mokes are said to have been converted by Wood & Pickett during summer 1966.

Recently, top “Prisoner” fan website The Unmutual received news that one of the original “Prisoner” Mokes, believed to have been owned by someone involved in the production, has been discovered, disheveled but mostly complete, in a barn in Holland.

A continuity goof showed 1965 license plate HLT 709C (rather than a generic “taxi” plate in the series’ trademark Albertus font) in the “Living in Harmony” episode, which matches the one on the Moke found in storage. The Moke is largely complete, missing only rear seats, spare tire and cover, front seat covers and interior trim.

At least four “Prisoner” Mokes were transported to North Wales in September to be used on location in Portmeirion, the quasi-Italian village built out of local stone near Penrhyndeudraeth by celebrated architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.

Each Moke was subtly different, and parts and fittings were swapped round during the course of filming. Some, if not all, of the Mokes later returned to London for use in studio filming, and there are a few other photos of them in use. Two vehicles, believed to be CFC 916C and HLT 709C, have survived. CFC 916C was on display at Portmeirion for several years before being restored and sold to an American buyer.

Each Moke had “spats” added over the rear wheel arches and the windscreens repositioned to be upright rather than slanted back. New hoods plus seat and spare wheel covers were also produced in a candy striped fabric. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any surviving studio documentation, so the discovery of this car with its original license plate is a stroke of luck.

McGoohan’s series, which he produced with George Markstein, led to issues with the Internal Revenue, as is often the case and, as I recall, he became a tax exile for a while. There was a half-hearted attempt to revive the show in 2005 as a miniseries with American James Cavaziel as McGoohan and Sir Ian McKellen in the role of Number Two, but the village was moved to a desert setting in Namibia. The six-part series debuted April 17, 2010, but the original show’s fans were reportedly unimpressed.

London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has rich history

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:50:00 -0400

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run was founded in 1896 and was billed as “The First Legal Run of the New Automotor Carriages in England.” A group of 33 pioneering motorists set off from the Metropole Hotel in Central London on that first run, driving to the Sussex seaside resort and the Metropole Hotel of Brighton.

Only 14 of the starters actually completed the journey, and some evidence shows that one car, an electric model, was secretly taken by rail and covered with mud before crossing the finishing line.

The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run takes place on the first Sunday of each November and commemorates the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896, which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act. That act raised the speed limit for “light locomotives” from 4 mph to 14 mph and abolished the requirement for these vehicles to be preceded by a man on foot.

The early law required the man on foot to carry a red flag but that requirement was actually abolished in 1878. However, the Locomotive Act was still widely known as the “Red Flag Act,” and a red flag was symbolically destroyed at the start of the Emancipation Run, as it still is today just before the start of each November’s celebration run in Hyde Park.

The first formal re-enactment of the 1896 run was staged in 1927. The run has taken place every November since, with the exception of the war years and 1947, when petrol rationing was in force.

Hagerty has supported and sponsored the event for the last five years and is very proud of its association. The following video represents some great footage of the event over the years, and more information about the event can be found by clicking here.

Video courtesy of Motion Works Management Limited.

Silverstone Classic to field 110 Grand Prix race cars

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:16:00 -0400

In the biggest gathering of Grand Prix cars ever seen, the 2011 Silverstone Classic has attracted more than 100 cars from six decades of motor-racing history to the three-day race weekend on 22-24 July. They’ll compete in six of the weekend’s 22 races, but the entire entry list will total more than 800 racing cars. And if that’s not enough excitement, 100 car clubs will bring around 6,000 collectible cars to the meet.

Other race classes will include the Jaguar E-Type competition group, celebrating the model’s 50th anniversary; Touring Cars, recreating saloon battles from the 1960s; Italian Historic Cup; World Sports Car Masters; and of course the Celebrity Race, where most stars show they’d better not give up their day job, while a few will really surprise the crowd.

A 32-car field for the Silverstone Classic Trophy for Grand Prix Masters will relive the 1970s and early 1980s of the Cosworth DFV engine era. Produced in nearby Northampton, the DFV revolutionised motor racing and made Grand Prix racing affordable to a host of new teams. These iconic cars were raced by World Champions such as Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, James Hunt, Niki Lauda, Mario Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi.

Hagerty offers Silverstone Classic discount

Hagerty is pleased to offer a 10 percent discount on adult tickets to the Silverstone Classic for Hagerty clients and friends.

To claim the discount, visit http://silverstoneclassic.com/tickets/ and enter the discount code SC11HIN.

Hurry - the deal expires July 15.

This was also the era when sponsorship colors vividly illuminated Formula 1 and every car on the Silverstone grid runs in period livery like Yardley, Marlboro and John Player Special. Each car has a history, and key entries include the ex-Nigel Mansell Lotus 92 (raced by Roger Wills), the ex-Mario Andretti Lotus 79 (Chris Locke) and the ex-Emerson Fittipaldi McLaren M23 (Richard Meins).

Representing another revolution will be nearly 50 cars in the Silverstone Classic Trophy for HGPCA Pre-1966 Rear Engine Grand Prix Cars. These machines hark back to the time when the rear-engined Coopers and Lotuses turned racing car design on its head and ran away from much larger front-engined opponents.

This was the era of Jim Clark, Graham Hill and John Surtees and one of the star cars racing at the Silverstone Classic is the Lotus 25 that Clark used to dominate the 1963 World Championship. Nearly 50 years later this car is still racing and will be driven by former touring car racer Andy Middlehurst.

The Lotus 21 that brought Colin Chapman’s team its first Grand Prix win will be driven by another Lotus aficionado, Dan Collins. The earlier 18 was the car that started the rear-engined era for Lotus and famous examples include those raced by Sir John Chisholm (ex-Jim Clark) and Paul Smeeth (ex-John Surtees). Meanwhile, the sensational engine note of the 1500cc V-8 Climax engine in Mark Piercy’s ex-John Surtees Lola Mk4 will be a treat for race fans.

Another exciting field will contest the Silverstone Classic Trophy for HGPCA Pre-1961 Front Engine GP Cars. These cars, in some cases dating back to the 1930s, herald the early days of Silverstone and cover the era when Ferrari scored its first Grand Prix win, 60 years ago at Silverstone on 14 July 1951 in the hands of Froilan Gonzalez.

One of the most glorious cars in action will be the Ferrari Dino of Tony Smith, in which Phil Hill scored the final Grand Prix victory for a front-engined car at Monza in 1960. The Ferrari will be challenged by front-engined Lotus 16s and the rare Scarab from North America driven by Julian Bronson, which will be racing for the first time in nearly 50 years.

The 1950s race will match Aston Martin, BRM, Maserati, Cooper, Talbot, Alta and Gordini, while the 1930s ERAs recall the time when the small British manufacturer took on the might of German technology. Mac Hulbert and Mark Gillies will battle against the best of the 1950s cars in their ERAs, while the car of Charles McCabe is the ERA that journalist John Bolster flipped over at Silverstone in the 1949 British Grand Prix.

“The lineup of Grand Prix cars for the 2011 Silverstone Classic is nothing short of sensational – we will have more than four times the number of F1 cars than will be racing at the British Grand Prix,” said event director Nick Wigley. “Nowhere else can visitors see so many Formula 1 cars racing on one weekend and see the development of Grand Prix cars from 1930 right through into the 1980s.”

For more information, visit http://silverstoneclassic.com.

What you need to know about FIVA ID cards

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 10:39:00 -0400

If you own a collector vehicle that you intend to show or compete in a Federation Internationale des Vehicules Anciens (FIVA) sanctioned event, read this guide carefully.

Top events for which your vehicle requires a FIVA identity card before it can compete include Concorso d‘Eleganza Villa d’Este, the Mille Miglia and the Peking-to-Paris Motor Challenge.

For a full list of International FIVA-sanctioned events requiring an ID card, click here.

To obtain such a card, you must apply to the National FIVA Authority (ANF) where the vehicle is currently registered. If it isn’t registered for the road – as is the case of many race cars – the ANF in the country where the owner lives has authority.

The first step in the process is to complete an application form, available here.

The form is self-explanatory, but there are steps in the process that must be completed to avoid a delay and to assist the scrutineers and the ANF, so please follow these instructions explicitly.

Although the ID card is necessary for many events, it is intended solely for identification purposes and is by no means a guarantee of the vehicle's authenticity, nor is it to be used for commercial purposes or proof of the vehicle's history.

You may wonder: Who are the scrutineers, what does the process entail and how long does it take? As one of the scrutineers I can assist you with those questions.

A team of independent specialists, usually concours judges who possess significant historical and technical skills, will be inspecting, documenting and confirming that the vehicle’s configuration, physical condition, chassis, engine and body serial numbers match the documentation provided.

If the forms have been completed as required, the process should typically be completed in 30 minutes. The scrutineers will also examine and appreciate any relevant documentation that the vehicle owner has (photocopies are always greatly appreciated). It is an informal and friendly experience, unlike the nerve-wracking experience of Sunday morning on the 18th fairway at Pebble Beach.

The scrutineers make a visual inspection similar to the judges at concours events. The items covered include the chassis or frame, front and rear suspension and axles; this may require a wheel to be removed to facilitate the inspection of the braking system to see if it is mechanical, cable or has been converted to hydraulic. From the top side a visual inspection of the engine, gearbox, ignition system, fuel system, wheels, tires, upholstery/trim, instruments and lights will be performed.

The card is valid for 10 years or until the ownership of the vehicle is changed, whichever comes first. The ID card remains the property of FIVA and must be returned to the HVA or FIVA upon request.

La Dolce Vita at the Villa d'Este

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:51:00 -0400

Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza must be the ultimate upscale classic car gathering – an unusual example of perfect German and Italian cooperation. The Italians provided La Dolce Vita – the world-class setting on the shores of Lake Como – while the Germans (and BMW in particular) brought their ability to master all things that can be humanly controlled.

The Villa d’Este Grand Hotel offered its beautiful century-old gardens, with mosaics, and colorful and fragrant azaleas protected by giant elms. Add San Pellegrino, Barolo, gelato and a slight breeze, and you get the perfect Southern European human experience in one location.

Germans and Italians share some core values: a tendency to affectionate aristocracy and the reluctance of discussing money in the open, for example. The organisations in charge successfully defined typical European values: close-knit, small-is-beautiful and not commercially oriented. The idea stretched beyond Europe’s borders, too, with 25 percent of the participants shipping precious automobiles from overseas to be part of this experience, in many ways very different from the country club lawns to which they are accustomed.

The 2011 Concorso was also complemented by another set of values, coming from North American culture for the first time, in the form of a sumptuous auction organised by RM Auctions. RM’s company values blend Italian “casual attitude” with German “no room for improvisation,” with the American mottos – “Bigger is better” and “Money talks.”

Both events, the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza on one side, and RM Auctions sale in Villa Erba on the other, were perfectly crafted, leaving the visitor with the delightful dilemma of how to best enjoy the overall experience.

Roll of Honour 2011

Coppa d’Oro Villa d’Este
Best of Show: 1942 Alfa-Romeo 6C 2500 SS par Bertone
Entrant: Corrado Lopresto (IT)

BMW Group trophy
Best of Show: 1968 Alfa-Romeo Stradale Berlinetta
Entrant: Clive Joy (UK)

You might have admired the voluptuous curves of Mr. Cantore’s 1938 Talbot-Lago T23 Teardrop by Figoni & Falaschi at Ville d’Este Concorso, or studied another Figoni & Falaschi Talbot-Lago T150C Teardrop at RM’s sale, though the price tag of £3m might have caused the dream to fade rather quickly.

And if you were astonished by the silent running and craftsmanship of Mr. Seeger’s 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Brewster Town Car during the concours, discovering a twin 1929 Rolls-Royce Brewster Town car under the RM Auction tent 20 minutes later for £429,448 reminds you that after all, as auctioneer Max Girardo says, “It’s only money.”

The visitor could be dazzled by the 100 cars on display at the two sites, as well as a superb motorcycle exhibit and a tribute to the 75th anniversary of the BMW 328. Simply put, the display was as overwhelming as the concours at Pebble Beach in California.

RM Auctions and BMW have agreed that RM will alternate an annual auction at Villa d’Este with one at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix. So next year, plan on an RM sale in Monaco on 12 May, 2012 and the Villa d’Este Concorso on 25-27 May. In a perfect world, you can see both.

Hagerty duo completes second Mille Miglia in very first Abarth

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:57:00 -0400

Perseverance pays.

In 1950, Guido Scagliarini took his brand new Abarth 205A – the first built – to Brescia, Italy, starting line of the Mille Miglia. The 1,100cc Vignale coupe retired before reaching Rome. When the Abarth’s current owner, Mark Gessler, returned s/n 205101 to the Mille Miglia 59 years later, he got only as far as Florence before the Abarth broke down.

This year, the Hagerty Collector Car Insurance team of McKeel Hagerty and Angus Forsyth made it all the way from Brescia to Rome and back, and the Abarth reached the finish line for the first time in 61 years. Hagerty is the company’s CEO and Forsyth the International Managing Director.

Hagerty/Forsyth finished 234th of 376 cars, but it certainly felt like a victory. Dave George provided support for the Scuderia Sports team during May’s 1,000-mile classic car rally, and said it best: “Finishing the Mille Miglia is essentially winning.” In this case, that’s certainly true.

As the pair learned, the Michelotti-designed and Vignale-bodied Abarth had built-in handicaps when it came to driving all night in slow traffic, with several stops. “On the first night of the race, we got to within 30 kilometers of the last checkpoint when the car came to a grinding halt,” said Forsyth. “The battery charging system could not keep up with the headlights being on for such a long period, and since the car also had an electronic fuel pump, we were stranded.”

George and the Scuderia Sports team came up with a simple solution – they put in another battery. “All of the Mille Miglia cars have electrical issues unless the electrical charging system is upgraded,” said George.

And the more relaxed gentlemanly aspect of the modern event also contributes to the problem. “Part of the issue is that there is less high-speed running – which helps charge the batteries – than when the cars ran in period,” said George. “So in a group of cars, it’s best to run with parking lamps only and let the battery recharge. Generators from the pre- and post-war period aren’t up to modern loads. Everyone has trouble, the first night.”

“It was frustrating,” Forsyth said. “We missed the final check-in by two minutes. It was 3 a.m. and we had been driving for nearly eight hours.”

Forsyth said the Abarth struggled at low speeds on steep inclines. “At one point we stalled on a hill and I had to have McKeel behind the car to stop it from rolling back, while I did my best to get up the remainder of the slope. Once it was going I couldn’t stop and retrieve McKeel, so he had to run to the top of the hill. He was none too pleased.”

A 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans won the 2011 Mille Miglia, followed by a 1927 Bugatti Type 37. Scuderia Sports, which is an historic racing team established by Gessler in 2009, had three vehicles in the top 10. A 1933 Alfa Romeo 6C 1500GS Zagato placed third, a 1933 Aston Martin Le Mans was fourth and a 1951 Nash-Healey took seventh.

"My favorite part of the Mille Miglia is seeing all of the cars we’ve prepared for the event finish,” George said. Now he can add the Abarth to that list.

Forsyth and Hagerty were participating in their second Mille Miglia. For Forsyth, the best part of the event “is blasting through Rome at night. The streets are cleared of cars and pedestrians, and we have a police motorcycle escort tearing through the streets of Rome at high speed, passing all the historic sites, like St Peter’s. It’s an unforgettable experience.”

The next Mille Miglia is scheduled for May 11-20, 2012, which will be confirmed in September. For more information, visit www.1000miglia.eu.

Sir Stirling Moss retires from racing

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:11:00 -0400

At a private party at the famous Hotel De France on the Friday before the Le Mans 24 Hours, Sir Stirling Moss finally rang down the curtain on one of the longest and most successful racing careers of the 20th century. Classic Driver was there.

Moss had just gone out in practice for the Le Mans Legend in his Porsche RS 61, the car which was taken out in a frightening incident at the Laguna Seca Historic Races in Monterey, California, last year, and which had been repaired.

Moss was characteristically direct, ending an incredible racing career that has spanned more than 60 years, and included winning the British Grand Prix twice, the Monaco Grand Prix three times, the Mille Miglia, the Targa Florio and the Tourist Trophy. He said, “This afternoon I scared myself and I have always said that if I felt I was not up to it, or that I was getting in the way of fellow competitors, then I would retire.”

He had come to Le Mans to race his own 1961 Porsche RS 61 in the Le Mans Legend, which this year invited Le Mans-type cars from 1949-65 to take part in a 45-minute race on the Saturday morning before the 24 Hours. Qualifying for the 61 spectacular historic cars was on Thursday – and it was the scene of his last competitive laps.

Duncan Wiltshire of Motor Racing Legends, organiser of the Le Mans Legend, applauded his decision with sadness. “It can be no easy thing to make such a decision, leaving the race itself to co-driver Ian Nuthall, thus ending – on his own terms – an incredibly long and illustrious career. In the years to come, we look forward to seeing plenty more of Stirling, who is as much a part of the motorsport world when he’s off the track as he is when behind the wheel of a car in flat-out racing action.”

In the Le Mans Legend race itself, Ian Nuthall took Stirling’s RS 61 to an impressive 23rd place in a race that demonstrated historic motorsport at its most exciting – with five cars vying for the lead throughout, and top-class drivers including multiple-Le Mans winner Emanuele Pirro.

Carlos Monterverdi won the event in his yellow Ferrari 250LM from the Lister “knobblies” of Alex Buncombe and Jon Minshaw, after Oliver Bryant’s Cobra ran out of fuel on the Mulsanne Straight two laps from the end. Monteverde recorded the fastest lap at an average speed of 108.7 mph, finishing just 2.4 seconds ahead of Buncombe and Minshaw.

Sir Stirling was generous-spirited enough to present the trophies at the prize-giving, despite the sadness he must have felt, knowing he would not race again. “I love racing,” he commented, “but now it is time to stop.” It takes a brave man to know when that time has come – but he has never lacked courage.

Classic cars for every budget

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:20:00 -0400

Classic vehicle enthusiasts still recovering from the recent downturn are looking for collector cars that offer the best value for their money. To help, here’s a guide for the first-time buyer. Our list includes cars that are fun to drive and will likely continue to increase in value over time.

In addition to their expected increase in value, the vehicles were selected according to the following criteria:

Accessibility: Each car on this list is readily available.
Ease of ownership: Parts and information are plentiful.
Great drivability: Capable of safe and enjoyable operation on modern roads.
Strong support network: Energetic and effective clubs to assist with spares, technical advice and sympathy (when called for).

£5,000-15,000

1949-71 Morris Minor Saloon/Drophead/Traveller
1958-61 Austin-Healey “Frogeye” Sprite Drophead
1962-1974 MGB Drophead and MGB GT Coupe
1962-68 Austin/Morris Mini Cooper Saloon

£15,000-25,000

1961-67 Jaguar MKII Saloon
1954-68 Morgan Plus 4 Drophead
1969-76 Triumph TR6 Drophead
1964-70 Ford Mustang Coupe/Fastback/Drophead

£25,000-50,000

1960-67 Austin-Healey 3000 Drophead
1961-69 Jaguar E-Type Coupe/OTS
1967-73 Porsche 911S/E/T Coupe and Targa
1963-71 Mercedes-Benz 230/250/280SL Drophead

£50,000-100,000

1949-61 Jaguar XK 120/140/150 Coupe/OTS
1974-89 Lamborghini Countach Coupe
1955-66 Bentley S1/S2/S3 Saloon/DHC
1956-63 A.C. Ace Bristol Drophead

The battle to save classic motoring

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 09:36:00 -0400

Editor’s note: This feature on the ethanol debate appeared recently in Classic Car Weekly.

Here’s the good news: You are not going to wake up tomorrow to find that your classic car has been banned from the roads overnight.

Draconian legislation targeting classic cars is a nightmare scenario in the minds of many enthusiasts. But CCW spent several days talking to leaders of the classic movement in Germany and it’s clear that it’s not going to happen.

There’s still more good news. On behalf of classic enthusiasts, these leaders are mounting coherent arguments against any creeping encroachment on the rights of owners to use and enjoy their vehicles – within reasonable limits.

They have also devised a document, the Turin Charter, that would place classic vehicles on a similar cultural status to that already enjoyed by historic buildings and steam railways.

The bad news is that this work involves incessant lobbying, research and discussion. And much of it entails defending the classic car movement’s currently rather cuddly image.

Greg Stropes, a board member of the Historic Vehicle Association (HVA) in the USA, sums it up this way: “Could our cars go from being seen as a novelty to a nuisance, and then to being viewed as dirty, gas-guzzling death traps? We are trying to get out in front of that and refute any negative accusations.”

The facts about ethanol

-At higher percentages, ethanol causes corrosion in fuel systems, reduces economy and can “wreak havoc” with fuel injectors

-It’s not cost effective, costing $2.24 to produce compared to 63 cents for petrol

-Ethanol requires $1.4 billion in government subsidies to fill this gap

-It has negligible environmental impact because it increases nitrous oxide and other smog-forming emissions

-A 10 per cent ethanol blend worsens fuel consumption by three-five per cent; figures become worse at higher percentages

-It increases corn prices because of higher costs to livestock and poultry producers

-Food prices – particularly meat, milk and eggs – rise

-Ethanol can’t improve the USA’s energy security, because even if production were increased by 1000 per cent, it would account for only one per cent of USA consumption

Here’s just one weapon in the war chest of facts that the HVA, which has 325,000 members, is building up: The average classic car

in the USA covers just 484 miles per year. A filthy polluter? Not at that mileage.

HVA battles against 15% Ethanol

Classic car defenders are pragmatic. “We firmly believe in alternative fuels,” the HVA’s Greg Stropes says. In other words, classic enthusiasts are not single-vision petrolheads. They are not those who deny that environmental problems exist and demand that everything should continue as it always has done.

“E10 is a nuisance, but we can live with it,” Stropes concedes. Ethanol, made from corn, is seen as a partial solution to the world’s fuel problems, and fuel containing 10 per cent of the chemical is now widely used in the USA.

But the classic campaigners also know when to make a stand. “Anything beyond E10 would be intolerable,” Greg insists. “At its heart, ethanol is a solvent. As it travels through your system, it cleans things. So you will have to be more diligent about maintenance, and you’ll have to replace rubber fuel lines.

“It also burns hotter, which will have an impact on cylinder walls and heads, and on catalytic converters.”

So now the HVA is mounting a campaign, Ethano!, against the US government‘s decision to authorise a 50 per cent increase of ethanol content in fuel to 15 per cent for cars made from 2007.

The HVA, which was founded in 2009 and is backed by Hagerty International Limited, also complains that the blending of ethanol is inaccurate in the USA, so that a car owner filling up a pump supposedly supplying a 10 per cent blend doesn’t really know whether he’s getting, say, a five per cent or an 11 per cent mixture. The labelling on pumps can also be vague, so “you don’t know what you putting in your car,” according to Stropes.

The Turin Charter

Several conservation groups have compiled charters that define what counts as historic in their movement, and how historic artefacts or buildings should be maintained and restored. The charters also allow politicians to see that the enthusiasts are the protectors of important elements of a country’s cultural heritage. Existing charters include the Venice Charter 1964, for buildings; the Barcelona Charter 2003, for historic watercraft; and the Riga Charter 2005, for railways.

Now the classic car movement is creating its own document, the Turin Charter, which co-author Thomas Kohler was circulating at Techno Classica, Essen earlier this year.

“It will be a help to politicians, to justify why they should give some privileges to historic vehicles,” says Kohler, a Swiss who owns 20 historic motorcycles.

“We have to be honest,” he continues. “We want to continue the privilege of running classics. But you have to justify your privileges in a democracy. So give us the privilege to drive on the road, and we promise to drive our rolling museum in a proper way. We are the curators of this privately-owned heritage.”

The five-page Turin Charter says that its proposals form “the best way to preserve historic substance unaltered and to allow future generations to enjoy these cultural treasures.”

To the enthusiast, its 15 articles – still in discussion in classic circles before the charter is finalised – might seem like statements of

the obvious. For example, article three states: “The active use of historically valuable vehicles, including on public roads, is essential to the preservation and passing along of the traditional knowledge of processes to future generations.”

But this is the kind of detailed, unglamorous work that is essential if the worldwide classic car movement is to continue to fight for survival and gain concessions from increasingly punitive government legislation.