LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
TOP TEN 1970S SMALL ESTATE CARS
Or, ten very individual ways to carry luggage and passengers without spending a monarch’s ransom on fuel -
CAR OF THE MONTH – MORRIS MINOR MM AND SERIES II
The year is 1948, the month is October and you are one of 562,954 visitors to the London Motor Show at Earl’s Court. Of course, your chance of owning one of the exhibits are pretty slim; the government allocated steel to car manufacturers on the basis on their being able to sell their wares overseas – 75% was the target – and the home market waiting list extends for literally years.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIAT 132 AND THE FIAT ARGENTA?
In the 1970s when the world was young, Valerie Singleton, John Noakes and Peter Purves were the stars of Blue Peter, and when kipper ties were still in the vanguard of fashion, cars such as the Fiat 132 occupied that strange middle-ground between the Cortina and the Granada markets.
April’s Club of the Month!
This month goes to Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles, a non-subscription Facebook-based group founded in 2014 which is dedicated to the enjoyment and celebration of classic British motoring.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE VAUXHALL FIRENZA?
There are many of us - i.e. people of an age to remember the time of The Protectors on ITV, Spangles and when crimplene flared slacks were the height of fashion – who regard the Vauxhall Firenza as an underrated coupe.
60 YEARS OF THE ORIGINAL SUBARU
The gulf between a 1992 Impreza and their original Subaru of 1958 would initially appear to be wider than the Grand Canyon, yet despite the former being an acclaimed sports saloon and the latter being barely able to achieve 50 mph in 37 seconds; both were the ideal cars for their respective eras.
TOP TEN SUPER-NAFF CAR AND CAR-RELATED COMMERCIALS
These gems – and so many others – may be found on the utterly addictive History of Advertising Trust website. Enjoy!
Old Toyota Adverts
The Earls Court Motor Show 1965 marked the official debut of Toyota in the UK, and in the following year, various print advertisements tempted Ford Cortina, BMC 1100 and Vauxhall Viva owners to the charms of ‘one of the world’s most reliable cars’ - the RT40 series Corona.
WHAT WERE THEY THINKING? – THE CADILLAC CIMARRON
Some cars have the power to form vague yet disquieting images in the mind, like a half-remembered horror film, and one such ran along the lines of ‘was there really a Cadillac-badged version of the Vauxhall Cavalier Mk. II?’.
AUSTIN METRO COOPER SURVIVES!
A major pleasure of the classic world is encountering a car that you a) had only ever read about and b) were convinced had completely vanished off the face of the planet. A vehicle that fulfils both of these criteria – the Austin Metro Cooper was shown at the NEC show last month.
NEWSREELS OF THE WEEK – THE JOYS OF MOTORING IN SNOW
The cold. The road conditions. The railways in chaos, although the idea of frozen water falling from the skies should be fairly well established by now. The power cuts and the daytime television that makes you wish that the power was off again.
Alex Cursley Hyundai Coupe Cup 2018 Round 1 and 2 Review
Our 2018 Hyundai Coupe Cup kicked off at Silverstone on 24th-25th March 2018, with the first two rounds held on a very wet national circuit. After hustling for pole position in qualifying and ultimately getting 2nd for race one, I was confident I had the pace to defend my 2017 Coupe Cup crown.