Some cars have the misfortune of being overlooked due to motorists’ perception of their being “old fashioned”. A case in point is the Vanguard Luxury Six, yet it represents the bridge between the first major post-war Standards and the Triumph 2000.
Nearly four years ago, we met the 1965 ex-Leicester City Police Ford Anglia 105E De Luxe owned by Joseph Lane. Since then, his fleet has somewhat expanded. As he explains:
This is a slightly unusual “Stars and Their Cars” feature, as 61 years ago, Leslie Phillips did not buy the 1927 Bentley 3-litre Speed Model Open Tourer by Vanden Plas that he co-starred with in The Fast Lady. The actor may have been a keen motorist, even taking his advanced driving test during shooting.
To say Mark Ashbridge is an enthusiast of Japanese cars would be an understatement. However, owning a 1968 B10-Series Sunny 1000, one of the original Datsun press cars in the UK, was not enough, so he acquired a 1971 Mazda 1800. 52 years ago, this was the sort of transport for motorists with BMW 2000 aspirations and a Ford Cortina GXL income.
On 3 May 1963, the Rootes Group unveiled the Hillman Imp. Two months later, Jeff Day’s example left the factory – “This was one of their first Imps, sold on 2 July 1963, and it still wears its original number plates”. Today it is one of the oldest surviving examples of a fascinating vehicle.
Ten years ago, I invited readers of Classic & Sports Car to “imagine a landowner of the Alan Clark school of tact and diplomacy driving an Estoura at speed around his properties, a 1961 Château Latour being waved out of the open driver’s window and curses being aimed at those who had bought their own furniture.”
Think of the green oval logo and images come thick and fast; wax jackets and mud-covered Land Rovers remain entrenched in the hearts and minds of enthusiasts. When Land Rover appealed to urban families with the Freelander 1 however, it struck gold.
Continuing our celebration of 60 years of the Hillman Imp is one of the most desirable members of the line-up. In 1967 the new Stiletto had no domestic rival as a 2+2 rear-engine coupe. Furthermore, it boasted an “ace-bred Sunbeam engine, ZOOM fastback styling, vinyl covered roof, twin carburettors, rally instrumentation and servo-assisted brakes”.
To celebrate the coronation of Charles III on the 6th of May, and Coronation Day on the 8th of May, here are twenty facts about life in the UK in the year of his birth:
Collecting can be an insidious hobby. You start with modest ambitions, only to realise 12 months later that your entire house is filled with back-issues of The Motor, Bee-Keeper Weekly or Pylon Enthusiast Monthly.
Lancaster’s Car Club manager Stephanie Hoy recently visited the Isle of Man Motor Museum, where she encountered one of the most exclusive vehicles to wear the Humber badge – the 1953 Super Snipe Mk. IV drophead built for the Royal Tour of the Commonwealth.
Nearly 40 years ago, motorists with limited funds were urged to “Fill in the Ticket to Ride” in their local newspaper and take it to their nearest Yugo dealer. There, they would find the 311, the second cheapest new car in the UK after the Fiat 126 and the line-up’s 513.
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