Just take a look at the veloured magnificence of that interior, with wooden decorations reminiscent of a top-of-the-range hostess trolley. Then, marvel at the vinyl roof, the matt black grille and those elaborate wheels. Elton Murphy’s Type B Opel Commodore GS is a very exclusive machine, the sort of car that should be driven by Stephen Greif or any other actor who played sun-shaded villains in 1970s television programmes,
The 1953 London Motor Show marked the first time a British motorist could buy a German car since the Second World War, but the Beetle had been a presence on the UK’s roads for a number of years. VW had sold them to British service personnel in Germany for £150 during the late 1940s, and on demob, they were allowed to take their Beetles home.
At first glance, this handsome Mini looks like a prime example of a Morris Mk.1 Traveller. Then you notice the left-hand-drive layout and the unfamiliar badging. It is, in fact, a 1967 Innocenti Mini T - one of the 437,234 Minis built in Milan.
the work of a designer who has kissed the lash of austerity with an almost masochistic fervour. Simplified to the point of crudity, it seems almost needlessly ugly, but it is full of original ideals planned to cut weight and cost and increase production. Besides this the Volkswagen is elaborate and the baby Renault a voiture de luxe.
The 1st November 1973 edition of Autocar concluded its report on a crucial new British car with glowing praise: All told, the Robin marks a real step forward in three-wheeler design.
Cars go through hundreds – if not thousands – of interim changes during their production lifetimes. The purest of their kind, they’re normally the rarest of all; altered, improved, facelifted, or scrapped early on after flaws were exposed. Few survive, and even fewer are cherished. For arch Rover 800 enthusiast, Alex Sebbinger, his 1986 825 Sterling is something of a holy grail.
When describing the MGB, words like ‘seminal’ and ‘evergreen’ come to mind. A worldwide favourite, beloved among enthusiasts, it remains an obvious candidate for restoration, owing to the parts supply, advice and support network available. But should you take the plunge? The MG Owners’ Club (MGOC) stepped into the breach to advise.
Creativity can spring from the strangest of places. Sometimes, it’s a case of making the most of what you have – for Scarlett Devey, it wasn’t a case of ‘make do and mend’, more ‘build back, and better’. Having spent her life to date around classics, custom cars and hot rods, she knew that she wanted something special for her first car; as it turned out, an Austin A40 Somerset more than fit the bill.
As most readers already know, earlier this year, Volvo announced the demise of their estates, ending a tradition that commenced in 1962 with the station wagon version of the Amazon. Five years later, its 145 successor founded a dynasty that lasted until as recently as 1993 and is still the image conjured by so many Britons on hearing the words “Volvo Estate”.
My car was registered in Italy in 1986, but it was actually manufactured in 1984. I imported it to the UK it in 2018 after it had stood in a barn in Verona for 16 years - and after a wash and wax and the original paintwork was still amazing!
Our old friend Joseph Lane has recently acquired another Wolseley to join his 6/90 and the other members of his classic police car fleet. His 1953 6/80 is the sort of vehicle that seems to dominate the output of Talking Pictures Television; a car associated with such black & white film dialogue as “You got me bang to rights Inspector!’ and “Dash it all, Superintendent – I was dining at the Blue Parrot nightclub that evening!”.
On the 20th October, the Rover 75 will celebrate its quarter-century – a fact that seems impossible to many classic enthusiasts of a certain vintage. For many of us, including this writer, it seems to be almost yesterday that Mr. J Clarkson reported on the Rover's launch for Top Gear -
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