Classics Monthly

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Drive It Day fell this year on 23rd April. This is the day when the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs encourages all owners to get their classic vehicles out and about, and many clubs arrange runs and gatherings to mark the occasion. I too

The latest attraction at the Lakeland Motor Museum is a Mazda RX7 which was first registered back in January 1985 – making it now nearly 40 years old – but that has just 15,000 miles on the clock and is in mint condition. It has been donated to the m

Held in association with the Solent Renegades club, Beaulieu’s vibrant Custom and American Show will return for 2023 on Sunday 18th June with hundreds of cool American motors, colourful custom cars and bikes, live music and great entertainment throug

MotoFest Coventry, in partnership with E.ON Drive, is gearing up for another classic Coventry Concours show with special guest appearances from the iconic Jaguar E-Type ECD 400 and a display of royal vehicles among the highlights at the event. ECD 40

Austin Pedal Cars has announced that a brand-new pedal car showroom located at Building 129 within the MT Yard at Bicester Heritage will be opening in May. The interior of the showroom will mirror the style displayed by Austin Pedal Cars at the 2022

On Sunday 4th June the town of Stony Stratford just a few miles north of Milton Keynes will be celebrating a golden age of automotive history with a magnificent display of over 400 classic cars and motorcycles, all coming together as part of a great

I thought I must write to let you know how much I enjoyed the Ford Capri – Original and Best article in the Spring issue, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. How lucky was Lee Pace to have a father who owned and could maintain his fleet of one o

Conceived by the British Motor Corporation as a replacement for the ageing 4-Litre Vanden Plas Princess R and Austin Westminster/Wolseley 6/110 models, the ADO61 Austin 3-Litre was developed with a controversial exterior treatment and a Spartan inter

Some versions of popular models are more frequently seen in brochures than on the road. The Sunbeam-badged Vogue Arrow is one such vehicle, as is the two-door Ford Corsair and the Cresta PC Standard. For many years I regarded the single-headlamp big

Avenger Sunbeam Owners club Almost all families in the UK rely on a car to get them wherever they need to go. Taking kids to school, commuting to work, holidays, shopping – in fact pretty much everything that needs doing away from home, the family c

The progression of Triumph into car production followed a familiar path of the era, though in their case it was a leisurely meander rather than a headlong rush. It really started in 1886/87 when German immigrant Siegfried Bettmann founded S Bettmann

volkswagen introduced their first Golf in 1974, and it arguably saved the company. Up to that point VW had been largely relying on the Beetle to keep it afloat, but that had become a classic in its own lifetime and a replacement was long overdue. The

Contributor 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 Gordin

Contributor Mike is based in Australia and although his Triumph Stag has been restored to a very high standard, it still require regular maintenance to keep it in tip-top condition. MY FLEET TRIUMPH STAG OWNED SINCE: 2004 Last month the Stag had a

Contributor Motoring author and journo Iain has been singularly unable to resist the intriguing opportunities that now comprise his fleet of projects, but also unable to muster the focus, energy or organisational skills to complete them. However, a

Editor Simon always has too many projects on the go, which means progress on individual cars can sometimes be slow. On the bright side, it does mean he never gets stuck watching telly of an evening. He likes virtually all classics, but has a weak sp

The first proper drive of any old car is a bit nerve wracking, but the 40-mile round trip for S56 EBW’s MoT test went very well. It drives just like a BMW should with peppy performance and a nice gearshift, plus it drives arrow straight. It takes a b

What do you do when time has finally caught up with your classic and the cost of repairing it is more than the car will ever be worth? That is a dilemma that will face many owners of the more affordable models at some time or another. In recent years

It seems to be a trend in the world of classic car (and other engineeringrelated) services that people are either getting out of the business altogether, often to retire, or are absolutely crammed with more trade than they have time for. For Lyndale

If you are looking for a classic and practical mid-engined two-seater open-top sports car, then the Fiat X1/9 is worth considering alongside later alternatives such as the Toyota MR2, MGF/TF and Lotus Elise. Find a good one and you will be rewarded w

Aproblem found on many cars of the 1970s and 1980s is a sagging headlining. This is rarely a problem on earlier designs because metal rods sewn into the headlining fabric keep the material up where it belongs – tears and splits in brittle vinyl tend

In the early 1960s, Dagenham’s Planning Department embarked on Project Buccaneer to replace the Consul Classic. As with its predecessor, the new model was to compete in the D Class of £721-£850 family saloons. Charles Thompson developed the distincti

Believe it or not, underneath this polished alloy exterior sits a 1968 Triumph Spitfire. Even more remarkable is the fact that instead of being a money-no-object commission from professional artisans, it was built on a relative shoestring at home by

As I write this, it’s now 35 glorious years since I bought my very first car at an auction, my third – but not my last – Ford Cortina. This was VGN 655R, quickly becoming known as VerGiN’ on the Ridiculous because frankly, it just was. VGN 655R start

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CONDITION 1 Very good cars, well cared for but not concours (for which prices are higher). CONDITION 2 Good condition, with a legitimate MoT and on the road. but still requiring some work. CONDITION 3 Complete, maybe even running and possibly being