Lancaster News

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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.

Austin Healey winner

Congratulations to Les, our Austin Healey winner!

  • 5th January, 2024

Last year we gave you the chance to WIN a beautifully restored Austin Healey. We had thousands of entries, and we can announce that the lucky winner was Les!

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FORGOTTEN HERO - THE LANCIA FLAVIA

  • 5th January, 2024

Quite simply, the Flavia was a crucial model in Lancia’s history - their first front-wheel-drive car. It is also hard to envisage how unusual a sight it would have been in the UK when it was new. Autocar described the Flavia as “a car for the connoisseur”, and Motor Sport regarded the Lancia not so much as a status symbol but as a:

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The SEAT 600 – The Car That Changed a Nation

  • 5th January, 2024

It is a scenario familiar to many of us. You are casually scanning the eBay listings, gazing at the cars you cannot afford, when one vehicle metaphorically leaps out of the screen.

Matchbox cars

MATCHBOX TOYS AT SEVENTY

  • 5th January, 2024

This blog is by way of a triple celebration. Lesney issued its first Matchbox die-cast model in 1953, its first buses and lorries in 1954, and for seven decades they have delighted motoring enthusiasts of all ages.

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The Car That Came In From The Cold – The Borgward P100

  • 4th January, 2024

For many years, this writer has regarded the Borgward P100 ‘Big Six’ as one of the most fascinating German cars of its generation. To find an ex-Guernsey RHD example being recently sold by Classic Car Auctions | 1961 B rgward P100 B g S x-F r Sale sorely tempted him, for the P100 belongs in a world of Cold War spies.

Brown car

Meet The Owner – Callum Cubbage and his Talbot-Matra Murena

  • 4th January, 2024

For many years, I thought my father’s gold Talbot-Matra Murena 1.6 was one of the most unusual cars he had ever owned. Certainly, no one else in our village had decided to invest in an LHD three-seater mid-engine coupe. So, imagine my delight in seeing Callum’s example. He remarks: “This car is totally original apart from the replacement engine.

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Meet The Owner – Michael Drewry and his Austin Ambassador 2.0 HL

  • 4th January, 2024

Michael is the owner of one of the most misunderstood cars to hail from the British Leyland empire. To quell one myth immediately, the motoring press did not lambast the Austin Ambassador. Motor Sport was impressed by the trim’s quality and noted how the ride, handling, and steering had all been improved compared with its predecessor.

Classic car

MEET THE OWNER – CALLUM ANDERSON AND HIS VAUXHALL ASTRA EXP

  • 4th January, 2024

Marvel at the Hazelnut Metallic paintwork. Thrill to the Antique Gold side stripe and wheels, glass sunroof, front fog lamps and tinted windows. Then savour the decadence of the Chevron Tweed upholstery. In 1982, to spend £4,995 and upwards on a Vauxhall Astra EXP was to be a member of the suburban elite – i.e. the sort of person who had a Sony C7 video recorder in their living room.

Black police car

Wolseley Running Report

  • 4th January, 2024

Or what I have learned and experienced over the past twelve months. i) Panic. Yes, that was the emotion I felt on seeing smoke billow from the radiator grille and the boot last summer when the Wolseley was taking part in a show.

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MEET THE OWNER - PATRICK BRADLEY AND HIS AUSTIN MAESTRO 1.3L PRESS CAR

  • 4th January, 2024

We have previously featured Patrick’s Maestro Advantage and Montego Vanden Plas Automatic, and the latest member of his fleet is equally fascinating. In his words:

Lancaster Insurance 10th anniversary cake

A look back at an incredible 2023

  • 27th December, 2023

As we approach the end of 2023 and reflect on all we’ve achieved over the year, it’s a time of great pride for me.

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Ten Remarks You Do Not Want to Hear at Your Local Classic Car Show

  • 20th December, 2023

A well-run local car show is one of the joys of the year. But, as many owners will tell you, the main challenge is coping with such remarks as these -

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THE WORLD’S RAREST HILMAN? THE BRITISH MOTOR MUSEUM’S HILLMAN GT

  • 20th December, 2023

Visitors to the British Motor Museum are guaranteed to be mesmerised by the sheer variety of rare machinery on display – including a very exclusive member of the Rootes Group 'Arrow' family. In 1969, the Hillman GT was the perfect car for the motorist who regarded a Jason King moustache and string-back driving gloves as high style.

Red BMW

Meet The Owner - James Ross Sinclair and his BMW 320/6

  • 20th December, 2023

The 3-Series was probably the first BMW to gain mass popularity in the UK. Speeding Home Counties motorists in the 1970s might have encountered a Thames Valley police 3.0S and a successful barrister might have chosen 528 but even the cheapest of the 02s were never widely seen. James Ross Sinclair is the proud owner of a 1982 320/6 A in splendid condition.