Lancaster News

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Latest news

Welcome to Lancaster Insurance News

Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.

Small blue car

THE STORY OF THE 9X – THE MINI REPLACEMENT THAT NEVER WAS

  • 25th July, 2023

The year is 1967 and Alec Issigonis is about to commence work on one of his most ambitious projects to date – an heir to the Mini. The 9X commenced after Issigonis finished work on the  ADO14, which was to become the Austin Maxi.

White car

Meet The Owner – Neil Allen and his Austin Metro

  • 17th July, 2023

‘A British car, to beat the world’ was the Metro’s advertising slogan in 1980 – and British car fans certainly took the model to their hearts. One such fan was Neil Allen, who’d spent his childhood in and around them, took driving lessons in a Rover Metro, and, before his 1983 Mk1 came along, had a 1988 Metro City in the garage.

White car and castle

MEET THE OWNER - STEVEN GRAY AND HIS BEDFORD HA ROMA

  • 17th July, 2023

Last year, we met Steven Gray, the proud owner of a Vauxhall Chevette Sun Hatch. But his fleet also includes a motor home that looks as though it has strayed from the set of Carry On Camping – a 1968 Bedford HA Roma. Some time ago, I described this fine machine in a Telegraph article thus.

White car

DO YOU REMEMBER THE FORD ORION MK. I?

  • 17th July, 2023

Some cars take pride in being reassuringly conventional, not least the Orion, a vehicle that only Terry and June might have considered at the cutting edge of automotive fashion. Ford never intended to break new bounds, but it more than fulfilled its role as a saloon to appeal to fleet buyers.

Man in red car

40 years young: The Midget and Sprite Club

  • 7th July, 2023

Inexpensive, beloved and well represented in terms of spares: these are just a few of the things a ‘Spridget’ has got going for it. With the comings and goings of lockdowns, the advent of 10 per cent ethanol fuel and more competition from the internet than ever before, Andrew Parrott, club chair of the Midget and Sprite Club, reassured Lancaster Insurance Services that the organisation was more than set for the challenges of the future.

Black car

Meet The Owner – Alastair Roberts and his Ford Probe 16v

  • 7th July, 2023

The Ford Probe was never meant to replace the Capri, but the press didn’t see it that way. Six years since the beloved model went the way of the dodo, front-wheel drive coupes were still in demand; Alastair Roberts, having owned a Capri 2.0S in the past, bought his Probe 16v after the end of an unhappy company car lease.

Texmex motors image

All NEW restoration show Tex Mex Motors is out now on Netflix!

  • 30th June, 2023

We all love watching our favourite car shows on TV, such as Wheeler Dealers and Top Gear, but we are always on the hunt for a new one to dive into and Netflix have us covered with the launch of Tex Mex Motors. Focusing on a new business set up in El Paso, Texas, on the border of Mexico and the USA, the team have a goal to clear $250,000 in four months by buying classics in Mexico, restoring and selling them for a profit.

Silver car

40 YEARS OF THE JAGUAR XJ-S EVENTER

  • 30th June, 2023

Forty years ago, the well-heeled motorist searching for a British sporting three-door estate car had three options. Firstly, there was the Reliant Scimitar GTE; secondly, one could always opt for a specially tuned Range Rover. And thirdly, there was the new Jaguar XJ-S Eventer - the perfect shooting brake for that excursion to Goodwood.

The Lancaster team attend the MG Centenary show!

  • 30th June, 2023

Lancaster team (Sam and Lorna) arrived at the show bright and early, looking forward to the day. With the weather not looking to promising they set up and waited for the start of the event. As the event went on, they were fortunate enough to be blessed with some sunshine and had a wonderful setting with the event being held at the British Motor Museum.

Cars driving

Did anybody order a Jam Sandwich?

  • 30th June, 2023

The Rover SD1 was the archetypal police car of the late 1970s and 1980s, often referred to as the ‘Jam Sandwich’, due to its distinctive white paint finish augmented by a contrasting stripe. Many forces introduced this new livery in the 1970s, and it often featured on the Rover 3500 P6B. The replacement SD1 debuted in 1976 with a ‘Police Specification’ version.

Red car

The Lancaster team attend MG’s in the Park!

  • 30th June, 2023

Last weekend the Car Club team, Paris and Sam, travelled across to the Cotswolds for another MG event, this time it was MG’s in the Park. The event is held at Cotswold Wildlife Park, where the team arrived nice and early to get set up for the day.

coffee in car

Coffee and Cars at Lancaster Insurance is BACK by popular demand!

  • 30th June, 2023

Fire up those engines, the Lancaster Insurance Coffee and Cars meets are back for July and August; giving everyone the chance to come down and enjoy classic cars, vehicles, bikes and commercials completely free of charge!

Beige Car

DO YOU REMEMBER – THE DATSUN SKYLINE 240K COUPE

  • 29th June, 2023

When I encountered a Datsun Skyline 240K Coupe for Classic & Sports Car nearly twenty years ago, I wrote that it hailed from a time when "a ceramic cooker hob, Texas Speak & Spell and a car with electric windows were the three essential prerequisites for middle-class success".

Green car

MEET THE OWNER – STEVE LLOYD AND HIS OPEL COLLECTION

  • 29th June, 2023

Many readers who live near Milford Haven will know the Vauxhall dealer W P Lewis & Son. Their managing director Steve Lloyd is also the custodian of four very rare cars that hail from when his family’s company was an Opel franchisee.