LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
DO YOU REMEMBER – THE ORIGINAL ROVER STERLING?
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.
Classic Fords you remember from childhood
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.
60 YEARS OF THE AVENGERS
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.
MEET THE OWNER – STEVE TENNICK AND HIS AUSTIN 152 PARALANIAN
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 – MEL HOLLEY AND HIS BEDFORD HA
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.
Best places to watch the sunrise in your campervan
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 – ANNA HUGHES-MORRIS AND HER FIAT 132 BELLINI
‘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
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.
MEET THE OWNER – GRANT HOWLETT AND HIS ONE-FAMILY-FROM-NEW MG MAGNETTE ZA
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.
DVLA update on the use of black and silver number plates
The DVLA has recently announced changes to information on vehicles displaying the old style pre-1973 black and silver number plates.
DINKY TOYS – A CELEBRATION
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”
Top Ten Screen Motoring Clichés
Or – what I have learned over several decades of viewing: 1) “Period Dramas” in which virtually every car is a new or recent model for that year. The road footage of almost any 1950s or 1960s newsreel will contain a multitude of elderly vehicles. And just take a look at The Sweeney, with its armies of corroding Austin A60 Cambridges and Singer Vogues on the streets of Hammersmith and Battersea