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Lancaster Insurance, classic car insurance specialist, is thrilled to be supporting a fantastic initiative by Morris Register to encourage younger drivers into the community. The club is loaning a superb 1939 Morris Eight Series E Tourer to a non-member, from March - October 2018, to help spark a lifelong interest in pre-war motoring.

This list comprises FWD and RWD, two-door saloons, hatchbacks, rear engine and transverse-mounted power plants – but what they do have in common is their blend of affordability with flair.

These films are not adverts per se but the genre of short feature that a car or component manufacturer would commission to show potential trade clients or train their sales teams. For me, the six examples here all stand out for the simple reason that each is so memorable:

A car does not have to be riotously expensive to convey a measure of true style – a fact that is demonstrated by the original Vauxhall Ventora.

A two-door saloon with a transversely mounted engine driving the front wheels, rack and pinion steering and independent suspension that debuted almost years before the Mini.

Ticket giveaway to the Motorhome and Caravan Show in Manchester on the 18th - 21st January 2018!

One of my favourite forms of a classic is the ‘Q-Car’; those vehicles whose comparatively restrained appearance belie their performance. Most of us could probably compile a list of such fine vehicles; the Lotus Carlton, the MG 1300 Mk. II, the BMW 2002 Tii, the Sunbeam Tiger – and the Cortina Savage 3000E.

Any Citroen CX, be it a long wheelbase Prestige, the eight-seater Familiale or the diesel engine Turbo-D, always manages to effortlessly convey an almost indefinable sense of elegance. This is a car that glides above the everyday cares and such mundane duties as visiting Halfords.

Last year all four generations of Dagenham’s big saloon were represented at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and there was also a rare opportunity to see a complete ‘Mk. I’ line-up on the ‘Five Stars’ club stand.

Imagine settling down one evening to watch 3-2-1 on an autumn evening only to encounter this vision of the future during the commercial break - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7jiTlv9wwI. After experiencing just 30 seconds of the new Sierra, even Dusty Bin would pale into insignificance.

A little over 40 years ago, those British motorists who craved affordable open-topped transport with that essential sense of brio were finally offered an RHD version of Fiat’s delightful X/19.

‘Anarchy. Acts of terror. Crimes against the public. To combat it, I've got special men. Experts from the army, the police; from every service. These are the professionals’.

There are some cars that just look ‘right’ and the fourth generation Cortina belongs in that elite category.

One of the key elements of Magnum P.I., as much as Tom Selleck’s moustache and Robin’s fleet of Ferraris, was the actor John Hillerman, who passed away last year. His Jonathan Quayle Higgins VC was one of the great characters of 1980s television and no episode would be complete without him scowling at our hero driving a Ferrari without due care and attention.

‘Are you sure you can spare it, guvnor?’ ‘I don’t go south of the river at this time of night’. Or in other words five of the most memorable taxi cabs from around the world…

Luggage space, low fuel bills and that essential classic appeal – that is what each of these very desirable light estate cars can offer the potential owner:

This week, we delve into the archives of British Pathe and Movietone for some priceless footage of innovations to assist the motorist. Not all this Top Ten was entirely successful, but you cannot deny their ingenuity…

A little over 37 years ago, Nissan and Alfa Romeo signed an agreement that eventually produced one of the most notably unsuccessful cars of its generation. Even now, the question is often asked in motoring circles – ‘was the Arna a Nissan Cherry with the build quality of the average Alfa?’

I’ve excluded The Italian Job as this will be the subject of a special feature next year - and so here is my not-at-all biased list: