March 2021

Classics Monthly

The UK's must-have classic car magazine

Classics Monthly1 min readAutomotive
F-type Pays Tribute To E-type
Jaguar is marking the 60th anniversary of the E-type sports car in 2021 with the introduction of a new limited-edition 575PS, V8, supercharged F-Type Heritage 60 Edition. Just 60 examples of these all-wheel drive sports cars will be available, and th
Classics Monthly1 min read
DVLA HALTS GROWTH OF BLACK & SILVER PLATES
The law is being changed to prevent any vehicle constructed after 1st January, 1980 from being allowed to display the old style black and silver number plates, despite being recorded in the DVLA’s historic tax class. Information from the DVLA reporte
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
BMW E36 Voted Best 1990s Car
One-time king of the fast lane and darling of the company car park, the BMW 3-Series E36 has been named the top affordable car of the 1990s by readers of Car Mechanics Bargain Cars. The bargain Beemer was voted into the top slot by followers of Barga
Classics Monthly1 min read
Competition Winner
Winner of our Machine Mart competition in the January issue was Michael Egan of Dundee, who will no doubt be putting his new welding gear to good use. Turn to page 13 for this issue's competition and your chance to win one of three portable power p
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
The Renault Clio Celebrates Its 30 Th anniversary
The Renault Clio supermini – the company’s most successful model and best-selling French car of all time – has just celebrated its 30th birthday. The Clio was first shown in 1990 at the Paris Motor Show as a replacement to the successful and popular
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
Aston Martin Returns To F1 After 60+ Years
Aston Martin is returning to Formula One in 2021 for the first time in over 60 years. Better known for its achievements in sports car racing, Aston Martin also has a fascinating Grand Prix history. The first Aston Martin Grand Prix car, commissioned
Classics Monthly2 min read
Editor
The classic scene is a constantly evolving one, and that brings with it both opportunities and difficulties. Starting with the difficulties, these are usually more in the mind than rooted in reality. We’ve all been at events and heard somebody snort:
Classics Monthly5 min readAutomotive
Project Mini Clubman Part 3
I have some big and potentially expensive decisions to make regarding the bodywork and paint on this low-mileage and very original Mini Clubman, but we’ll make a start on addressing those issues next month. For now, there were a few little jobs that
Classics Monthly1 min readTechnology & Engineering
Tengtools®
Teng Tools offers hand tools in smart storage solutions for demanding professionals within the automotive, maintenance and engineering sectors as well as motorsport and classic enthusiasts who aspire to use the same tools as top mechanics across the
Classics Monthly7 min readAutomotive
Project Shoestring
Getting into the classic car scene for the first time can be a bit like getting on the property ladder – not so bad to move up and down once you are on it, but very difficult for a newbie to get started. It doesn’t help that prices for iconic classic
Classics Monthly1 min read
Classics Monthly
Editor: Simon Goldsworthy Email: classics.ed@kelsey.co.uk Group Editor: Paul Wager Email: classics.ed@kelsey.co.uk Design: Rob Terry Will Armston-Sheret, Iain Ayre, Andrew Everett, Rob Hawkins, Rod Ker, Glenn Lindberg, Peter Love, Martyn Morgan Jones
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
Letters
Over the years I have tried to collect diecast models of all the cars that I have owned. I am missing some, such as the Herald 1200 estate, Morris 1300, Ford Scorpio in the correct scale, Vauxhall Senator 24 valve (represented currently by a Carlton
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
Paddy Hopkirk Le
Northern Irish rally driver Patrick ‘Paddy’ Hopkirk MBE is among the first of just 100 customers in the UK to receive the MINI Paddy Hopkirk Limited Edition, named in his honour to commemorate his triumph at the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally in the classic
Classics Monthly8 min readAutomotive
The 'Other' Karmann Ghias
CM: Perhaps you could start by telling us how you first become involved with Karmann Ghias? Mark Poulton: I had grown up with VWs from my father's side, and so naturally enough I started out in 1976 driving a 6v Beetle. After nearly 10 years and a
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
The VW Karmann Ghias
Wilhelm Karmann GmbH in Osnabruck were invited by VW to build convertible versions of the Volkswagen Beetle from 1949, but saw an opportunity to include a sports-bodied car on the same running gear. There is quite a story behind this, but in summary,
Classics Monthly7 min readTechnology & Engineering
Troubleshooting with Steve Rothwell
Q I have a 1973 Ford Escort 1100 with front drum brakes. When braking, I am feeling a judder which comes up through the steering column. This is quite a severe judder, and although it is felt when braking, I am not convinced it is due to a problem wi
Classics Monthly10 min readAutomotive
E-TYPE FIRST & LAST
I find it hard to believe that we are about to celebrate 60 years since the launch of the Jaguar E-type, the car that Enzo Ferrari was reputed to have said was the one car he wished that he had built. In 1961 when Jaguar announced the E-type, it pret
Classics Monthly6 min readAutomotive
10 To Things Know The Bond You About Bug Need ...
In some ways, the twin histories of Bond and Reliant follow remarkably similar paths. Lawrence ‘Lawrie’ Bond designed his three-wheeled Minicar aimed squarely at those struggling to buy their first car or wishing to move up from a motorcycle and made
Classics Monthly3 min readAutomotive
Products
Price: various The 1100 Club has taken the original BMC factory front wing tooling for the 1100 and 1300 range and put it back to work producing new panels. The new panels are the culmination of two years' work, prompted by David Kingerley of Longb
Classics Monthly5 min readAutomotive
Mg Midget Project Part 5 Reconstructive Surgery
I’ve said before that once you start digging into a project car, the one thing you can be certain of is that things will get a whole lot worse before they start getting any better. We had already seen a nearside sill repair balloon into new inner and
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
Rod Ker Lancia Love Affair
Top Gear loves Lancia – what a bombshell that was back in 2010 when the superannuated schoolboys devoted a considerable amount of airtime to an effectively defunct Italian make of car. In fact, Lancias had really been Fiats since the end of the 1960s
Classics Monthly4 min readTechnology & Engineering
Road Test Time For The New Allard L
Peter Love is Kelsey Media’s group editor-at-large. He created its tractor and commercial vehicle titles starting with Tractor & Machinery some 25 years ago. However, he is also a keen steam and classic car owner and loves working in his workshop on
Classics Monthly4 min read
A Little Van That Needs A Lot Of Work
Will has a collection of Morris Minors. This column follows the maintenance and modification of them for daily use, as well as the long-term restoration of a 1950 Lowlight Tourer from a desert scrapyard in America and a 1970 Morris Van which has been
Classics Monthly8 min readAutomotive
The End Of An Era
In the 1970s and 1980s, some special edition cars were a clever means of clearing an obsolete product from showrooms by way of adding fog lamps, vinyl roofs and a MW/LW radio to the specification. Other special editions fall into the category of ‘agr
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
Classic Tails
Andrew recalls a time not so long ago when the cars we cherish today as classics really were worthless old bangers, and wonders if history will soon be repeating itself. Imagine if you will stumbling across an abandoned 2012 Jaguar XF saloon next we
Classics Monthly3 min readAutomotive
Porsche Service And Davrian Improvements
Martyn has been passionate about classics ever since he joined the Imp Club back in 1981 and has owned around 15 Imps over the years. If money were no object he’d love to own a 1972 Porsche 911S, an Austin-Healey 3000, a Renault 8 Gordini – and anoth
Classics Monthly5 min readAutomotive
Press Pictures A-z
This is not something you see every day – a Volkswagen splitscreen bus that corners like it is on rails! With just 30bhp from an 1192cc flat four engine, this one is never going to be an express train, but thankfully hauling wagons was never its purp
Classics Monthly5 min readAutomotive
American Idol
The hero of 25 novels, numerous short stories and two Hollywood movies, Jack Reacher is quite possibly the second-most famous literary hero on the planet. The brainchild of author Lee Child, he combines a loner’s mystique with intelligence, morality
Classics Monthly4 min readTechnology & Engineering
Project BMW Mini One Part 3
It’s often difficult to tell whether a car has actually been looked after, or superficially maintained to look good and tick a box in the service book. In our case there is no service book, but going by looks, the new-looking air filter pointed out i
Classics Monthly1 min readAutomotive
The MG Owners Club
The MG Owners Club is the world’s largest single marque car club. Formed in 1973 and supplying all MG requirements, the club provides a full range of benefits for the dedicated MG enthusiast, as well as for the less enthusiastic owner who simply enjo
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
Iain Ayre Roundabouts? Great!
My British chums might react with a less than polite response if I suggested that you should be grateful for roundabouts. However, hear me out. The car accident death rate here in British Columbia is more than twice as bad as it is in the UK, with se
Classics Monthly7 min read
Xk Engine Rebuild: Part Two
In the last issue of Classics, we followed P&K Thornton Restorations stripping a 3.8-litre XK engine from an XK150S. The time required to properly reassemble this engine, once any machining has been completed, can easily take around two working weeks
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
Comment Graham Robson Graham Robson Developing Rootes
It seems to be a long time ago that I was head-hunted to the design/ development area of Chrysler UK, eventually to run a big department covering what was titled Road Proving. That meant submitting prototypes to all manner of indignities before signi
Classics Monthly2 min readAutomotive
Volkswagen Beetle's 75 Years
December 27th, 2020 marked 75 years since serial production of the Volkswagen Beetle began. The model had originally been planned as a prestige project of the National Socialists, but from 1939 onwards the Wolfsburg plant had produced armaments inste
Classics Monthly1 min readTechnology & Engineering
A Word From Sng Barratt Group
Choose from over 300,000 parts and accessories from the world’s largest independent manufacturer and supplier of classic Jaguar car parts. SNG Barratt is trusted and valued by Jaguar owners all over the world with branches in the UK, France, Holland
Classics Monthly4 min readAutomotive
A Proper Test For The Stag
Mike is based in Australia and although his Stag and E-type have both been restored to a very high standard, both of them still require regular maintenance. OWNED SINCE: September 1986 OWNED SINCE: 2004 Prompt action by both federal and state go

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