LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
The Mini Moke at 60 by Andrew Roberts
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Mini Moke, we travel to Portmeirion in North Wales, where this writer had the honour of encountering one of the most famous automotive television stars of the 20th century.
Meet The Owner – Herb and his Fiat 1500
“I am 22 years old and have wanted a classic car since my early childhood - you could say I have admired them all my life. I remember my dad having a Morris Oxford Series VI Farina for a while; it was the family car until we found out the floor was made of cornflake packets!
THE FIAT 131 AT 50 By Andrew Roberts
It is always a pleasant experience to be reacquainted with Theo Kyriacou’s Sport, which goes by the Nom-de-Fiat of Hugo.
YES MINISTER – THE GOVERNMENT’S WOLSELEY WEDGES
For those of us of a certain age, the prospect of a general election evokes images of Rover 3.5-litre P5 saloons arriving outside 10 Downing Street. However, during the 1970s, another official car conveyed junior ministers to Whitehall in a chauffeur-driven style. It was, of course, the Wolseley “Wedge”.
Meet The Owner – Tony Croft and his Ford Prefect 100E
Last year Tony acquired a car that now appears to hail from an impossibly remote time: smog, Woodbines and such telephone numbers as WATerloo 2193 (“Press Button A, caller.”). Today, many Britons associate the name “Ford Prefect” with The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but 70 years ago Tony Hancock probably dreamed of owning a new 100E parked outside 23 Railway Cuttings.
Meet The Owner – Malcolm Cross and His Austin A90 Westminster
The classic car world is rife with temptation. Last month, you vowed never to buy another vehicle, but you heard the siren call of classified advertising. And it is very hard to resist Malcolm Cross’s 1955 Austin A90 Westminster.
MEET THE OWNER – MATTY CRISELL AND HIS FIAT 850 SPORT COUPE
It is in very good condition for a 55-year-old car. The Coupe was imported from California and had been off the road since 1994 with a seized engine, but the only complete panel that needed changing was a sill that I’ve managed to find an original from Italy. The Fiat is now RHD; I found a UK car and switched the necessary parts over.
MEET THE OWNER – CHRIS JAMES AND HIS ROVER 623SLI
The 623 popped up on FB Marketplace locally in Middlesbrough when I was on holiday in France. I messaged the vendor, and she said someone was going to view it the next day. He did view, but then could not sort insurance on it. She messaged to say her husband was taking it off sale, but I gave her my number should that change.
Meet The Owner – Craig Piercy and his Triumph Toledo
Craig is a classic car enthusiast aged 29 who one day decided to take a walk on the mild side. Throwing down his copy of Reader’s Digest and his quarter-pound bag of Mum’s and Dad’s Winter Mixture, he donned his tweed jacket, lit his pipe, and strode forth to buy a car suited to the hip young motorist. And what better choice than a 1973 Triumph Toledo?
RARER THAN RARE - THE ALFA ROMEO 2600 BERLINA
I have long been fascinated by large Italian saloons of the 1960s, the sort of cars mainly encountered in the World Car Year Book, The Observer Book of Automobiles, and films starring Alberto Sordi. Nicholas Heywood-Waddington’s 2600 Berlina is not only a highly distinguished vehicle but was also assembled in South Africa. Eight years ago, I had the honour of driving it for Classic Cars magazine.