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Welcome to Lancaster Insurance News
Keep up to date with the latest news and events from the world of classic cars.
A quick history of Le Mans
- 15th January, 2021
Just about everyone has heard of Le Mans – although not everyone has quite got the pronunciation down… They probably know that it’s a 24-hour race, but that’s where most people’s knowledge ends.
DO YOU REMEMBER – THE ORIGINAL ROVER STERLING?
- Andrew Roberts |
- 8th January, 2021
1986 - the year I started sixth form and my first sighting of an imposing metallic silver saloon. It was a car that looked as though it could cope with any road conditions while barely dislodging the owner’s Filofax and A-ha cassettes. It was the new Rover Sterling, a car attempting to bridge the worlds of the Ford Granada Scorpio/Vauxhall Senator and BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz. Enthusiasts will tell you that it more than succeeded in this goal.
Best hot hatches
- 8th January, 2021
Here are eight of the best hot hatches (in our humble opinion) from over the years - many of which we’re proud to cover here at Lancaster.
60 YEARS OF THE AVENGERS
- Andrew Roberts |
- 7th January, 2021
1) When The Avengers first aired on 7th January 1961 - the leading man was Ian Hendry as Dr. David Keel, supported by Patrick Macnee as the intelligence agent John Steed.
Classic Fords you remember from childhood
- 7th January, 2021
No matter how young or old you are, you’ll remember Fords on the streets of your hometown. From Anglias to Zodiacs, the Ford range over the decades has been quite extraordinary. So which Ford model makes you go all misty-eyed? Jog your memory by reading all about our top 12 Fords in the UK from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Best places to watch the sunrise in your campervan
- 6th January, 2021
You don’t need to be a druid or wait until summer solstice to watch the sunrise. There are beautiful places around the UK that make the perfect spot for you to park up your campervan and enjoy one of nature’s greatest shows.
MEET THE OWNER – MEL HOLLEY AND HIS BEDFORD HA
- Andrew Roberts |
- 6th January, 2021
There was once a time when the HA van was part of the daily routine. It might have delivered your post or your new DER television set, distributed the Co-Op’s groceries or attended to yet another malfunctioning telephone box.
MEET THE OWNER – STEVE TENNICK AND HIS AUSTIN 152 PARALANIAN
- Andrew Roberts |
- 6th January, 2021
The Austin 152 and its Morris J2 twin deserve to be remembered for many reasons. In 1956, they were BMC’s first unitary-construction vans and familiar sights long after production ended in 1967. And they also provided the basis for some delightful motor caravans, such as Steve’s Paralanian motor home
MEET THE OWNER – ANNA HUGHES-MORRIS AND HER FIAT 132 BELLINI
- Andrew Roberts |
- 4th January, 2021
‘They love it, but some are unsure of what it is as they’ve never seen one before.’ Such a public reaction to Anna’s Fiat 132 Bellini is quite understandable, for it was an unusual sight even when it was new 41 years ago. ‘Beautiful, si?’ read the original advertisements; for here was transport for those whose sartorial role model was “Lewis Collins in Lounge Lizard Mode”.
12 Of The Best Classic French Cars Money Can Buy
- 30th December, 2020
Choosing a Top 10 of French classics is a near-impossible task, with the likes of Renault, Peugeot and Citroën competing against each other as well as lesser-known gems. So, we’ve picked out 10 examples of great cars from the post-war era up to the 1980s that still hold huge appeal for motoring enthusiasts today.
DVLA update on the use of black and silver number plates
- 23rd December, 2020
The DVLA has recently announced changes to information on vehicles displaying the old style pre-1973 black and silver number plates.
MEET THE OWNER – GRANT HOWLETT AND HIS ONE-FAMILY-FROM-NEW MG MAGNETTE ZA
- Andrew Roberts |
- 23rd December, 2020
Any Z-Series MG is an object of desire – one of the finest British sports saloons of the 1950s and certainly one of the most beautiful. But this 1955 ZA is an exclusive motor-car even by Magnette standards. Not only does it have a total mileage of 54,000, but one family has owned it from new. And it has delighted motoring enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic.
DINKY TOYS – A CELEBRATION
- Andrew Roberts |
- 22nd December, 2020
Was it really 45 years ago that this writer avidly scanned the Dinky brochure for possible birthday and Christmas presents? From 1934 until 1979 the company based at Binns Road in Liverpool produced models that set the benchmark for British die-cast. This newsreel captures the factory in 1967 as it produces one of my favourite Dinky toys – the Fiat 2300 Estate “Pathé Newsreel Camera Car”
DO YOU REMEMBER – THE ROVER 600?
- Andrew Roberts |
- 21st December, 2020
A highlight of the May 1993 edition of Car magazine was Roger Bell’s evaluation of a 620SLi opposite the BMW 318i, the Citroen Xantia 2.0 and the Ford Mondeo 2.0 GLX. His article was headlined ‘Rover bites back’, and he concluded:
