LANCASTER CLASSIC CAR NEWS
Meet The Owner – Alastair Roberts and his Ford Probe 16v
The Ford Probe was never meant to replace the Capri, but the press didn’t see it that way. Six years since the beloved model went the way of the dodo, front-wheel drive coupes were still in demand; Alastair Roberts, having owned a Capri 2.0S in the past, bought his Probe 16v after the end of an unhappy company car lease.
40 years young: The Midget and Sprite Club
Inexpensive, beloved and well represented in terms of spares: these are just a few of the things a ‘Spridget’ has got going for it. With the comings and goings of lockdowns, the advent of 10 per cent ethanol fuel and more competition from the internet than ever before, Andrew Parrott, club chair of the Midget and Sprite Club, reassured Lancaster Insurance Services that the organisation was more than set for the challenges of the future.
Coffee and Cars at Lancaster Insurance is BACK by popular demand!
Fire up those engines, the Lancaster Insurance Coffee and Cars meets are back for July and August; giving everyone the chance to come down and enjoy classic cars, vehicles, bikes and commercials completely free of charge!
The Lancaster team attend MG’s in the Park!
Last weekend the Car Club team, Paris and Sam, travelled across to the Cotswolds for another MG event, this time it was MG’s in the Park. The event is held at Cotswold Wildlife Park, where the team arrived nice and early to get set up for the day.
Did anybody order a Jam Sandwich?
The Rover SD1 was the archetypal police car of the late 1970s and 1980s, often referred to as the ‘Jam Sandwich’, due to its distinctive white paint finish augmented by a contrasting stripe. Many forces introduced this new livery in the 1970s, and it often featured on the Rover 3500 P6B. The replacement SD1 debuted in 1976 with a ‘Police Specification’ version.
The Lancaster team attend the MG Centenary show!
Lancaster team (Sam and Lorna) arrived at the show bright and early, looking forward to the day. With the weather not looking to promising they set up and waited for the start of the event. As the event went on, they were fortunate enough to be blessed with some sunshine and had a wonderful setting with the event being held at the British Motor Museum.
40 YEARS OF THE JAGUAR XJ-S EVENTER
Forty years ago, the well-heeled motorist searching for a British sporting three-door estate car had three options. Firstly, there was the Reliant Scimitar GTE; secondly, one could always opt for a specially tuned Range Rover. And thirdly, there was the new Jaguar XJ-S Eventer - the perfect shooting brake for that excursion to Goodwood. Of course, it helped if you could afford the conversion price of £6,950 - not including VAT.
All NEW restoration show Tex Mex Motors is out now on Netflix!
We all love watching our favourite car shows on TV, such as Wheeler Dealers and Top Gear, but we are always on the hunt for a new one to dive into and Netflix have us covered with the launch of Tex Mex Motors. Focusing on a new business set up in El Paso, Texas, on the border of Mexico and the USA, the team have a goal to clear $250,000 in four months by buying classics in Mexico, restoring and selling them for a profit.
The challenges facing classic car owners in London
It can be tricky running a historic vehicle in any city, but our capital poses its own unique challenges. As the expanding Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) will affect owners of modern classics after 29 August, Lancaster Insurance caught up with Darren Vince, founder of Waterloo Classics, to better understand the situation from within Greater London and the Congestion Charge zone.
Behind The Shutters: Courtney Ward, Ambassador, Mazda MX-5 Owners’ Club
Classic car clubs have a vital role in preserving historic vehicles. Aside from the spares, camaraderie and events, they need to be a welcoming space for all interested parties. The best way to get into older motors is to start young – and Courtney Ward, Mazda MX-5 Owners’ Club ambassador, joined when she was 11.
MEET THE OWNER – STEVE LLOYD AND HIS OPEL COLLECTION
Many readers who live near Milford Haven will know the Vauxhall dealer W P Lewis & Son. Their managing director Steve Lloyd is also the custodian of four very rare cars that hail from when his family’s company was an Opel franchisee.
DO YOU REMEMBER – THE DATSUN SKYLINE 240K COUPE
When I encountered a Datsun Skyline 240K Coupe for Classic & Sports Car nearly twenty years ago, I wrote that it hailed from a time when "a ceramic cooker hob, Texas Speak & Spell and a car with electric windows were the three essential prerequisites for middle-class success".