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Generation Godzilla

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Life story of a Reliant Scimitar GTE

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Winging it – will this Countach come ‘home’ to the UK?

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‘Keeping it spinning is the secret’ – reader drives a Saab Turbo

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ULEZ and classic cars

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Ethanol blended petrol and classic cars

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‘We’d turn up to callouts with glowing brakes’

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Fangs for the memories

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1998 Mini Cooper £15,750

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An Offord you can’t refuse

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‘It had a cocktail of poor crash repairs and corrosion’

We had no contracts - we agreed, we did it, we prospered

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‘We had no contracts – we agreed, we did it, we prospered’

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Flying bricks prove a hot catch

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The Influencers

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‘The paint was too thick. Then we found evidence of impacts beneath’

Epic Restoration – the tale of a tricky rebuild by clever craftsmen

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‘Some panels were like lace there was so little metal left’

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Inside the June issue we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the supercar king, the Lamborghini Countach, with a drive in the definitive variant. Legendary test driver Valentino Balboni then gives us the inside story on its gestation – including the time he rolled one of the prototypes...

We also put a reader behind the wheel of a Jaguar Mk10 like the one that fascinated him as a child, tell the story of a Seventies Beetle that dodged that scrapyard to become a family heirloom, delve into the exacting restoration of a rare Alfasud, and show you how to buy the best-value generation of VW Golf with confidence.

All that, plus our ever-entertaining columnists Quentin Willson and Alex Riley, market news and event highlights, the monthly highs and lows of our own classics, four cars for sale tested and more, make the June issue unmissable.

**The June 2024 issue of** _**Classic Cars**_ **is out now at all good newsagents, or why not subscribe?**

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### **Chasing Cars: John Mayhead’s market analysis** {#h-chasing-cars-john-mayhead-s-market-analysis}

**Japanese and German classics dominate young ownership**

Classic and collectable cars with an above-average number of younger owners tend to be from either Germany or Japan and were built since 1982, according to newly released data from Hagerty. The company identified nine cars: four Nissan models (R32, R33 and R34 Skyline and the present GT-R), two BMW M3 generations (E36 and E92), the Toyota Supra and Porsche 944.

These Japanese and German modern classics are at the heart of a thriving network of enthusiasts, and are the cars that Gen X and Millennials grew up watching in films, computer games and on TV, as Caffeine & Machine founder Phil McGovern explained. ‘From the poster on your wall to the model you had on the side table, cars of the early to mid-Eighties are now the achievement of many a petrolhead in the UK market.

Hard work, dedication, and a drive to achieve that aspirational vehicle you dreamt of so much now reflects in the number of under 40s driving around in those iconic vehicles, and in turn visiting C&M on a regular basis.’

Other than the R34 GT-R that has an ‘excellent’ Hagerty value of £120,000, the remainder of the cars on the list are all relatively affordable but prices have risen in recent months. ‘The good side is they’re out there and being driven,’ said McGovern. ‘The downside is that supply and demand is driving prices into harder-to-find levels.’

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#### This Scimitar’s story is intertwined with that of one Staffordshire family, from unlikely people-mover to exacting restoration and much-loved classic {#h-this-scimitar-s-story-is-intertwined-with-that-of-one-staffordshire-family-from-unlikely-people-mover-to-exacting-restoration-and-much-loved-classic}

**Words** SAM DAWSON **Photography** TOM CRITCHELL

#### **1973 – Mr Wentworth orders his dream Scimitar**

‘The story really begins in 1966,’ says Malcolm Wentworth of the Reliant Scimitar GTE he’s owned since new. ‘I was waiting for the school bus, and a lady drove past us, through the village, in a car I’d never seen before and couldn’t identify, but I knew I wanted one. I later discovered it was a Reliant Scimitar GT. Fastforward to me leaving school, I started an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner, and one of my tasks as a new starter was to wash the boss’s cars. I went to the garage where they were kept, and sure enough, there was a pair of Scimitar GTs. It instantly rekindled my interest in them.

‘I set up my own carpentry and joinery business in 1969. With £1000 I bought an old Methodist chapel for £380 that I converted into a workshop, a brand-new Bedford HA van for the business for £510, and a second-hand Morris Minor 1000 with what was left.

‘However, in 1973 the Minor collapsed and went to a scrapyard,’ Malcolm continues. ‘I ran around in the van for a while, but in 1973 I married Carole, and we needed a second car.’

Carole recalls the situation. ‘I was thumbing lifts from friends at the time,’ she says. ‘When we decided to get a new car, I actually wanted a Mini, but Malcolm couldn’t get into it comfortably.’

The 24-year-old Malcolm, however, realised he had the opportunity to buy the kind of car he’d wanted ever since he was a schoolboy. ‘I considered the Volvo 1800ES, the then just-released Lotus-engined Jensen GT, and the Gilbern Invader,’ he says, ‘but in reality there was only one car I wanted.

‘I placed my order for a Reliant Scimitar GTE in the latter half of 1973, and they gave me a projected delivery date for six weeks later. This slid by, and as 1973 became 1974, the dealer I ordered it from, Ovar Motors in Derby, suggested I go down to Reliant’s Tamworth factory and see what was happening.

‘I made the trip down to Tamworth, went into the reception area, and the walls were adorned with photographs of Princess Anne collecting her first GTE a few weeks earlier. It turned out the Royal visit and the prioritising of her car had disrupted production and delivery. I was told on the day that my car was three weeks away.'

#### CHASING CARS: Russ Smith’s market headliners {#h-chasing-cars-russ-smith-s-market-headliners}

#### **RM offers a low mileage 5000QV that’s been with the same owner since 1989** {#h-rm-offers-a-low-mileage-5000qv-that-s-been-with-the-same-owner-since-1989}

The car is due a good run out to stretch its legs – it has only covered 5000 kilometres in the last 20 years. Perfect excuse for an epic road trip back to the UK?

There’s a peculiarity to this car’s story. Despite being delivered new to Germany – where it spent only six months – and now being offered for sale in Monaco, it has otherwise spent the rest of its existence with one UK owner. That’s 35 years, always wearing the 999 MNN registration it still bears today. If nothing else it would make life easy should the winning bidder at RM Sotheby’s sale on 11 May be another Brit. They could also perhaps christen their new toy with a memory-making epic drive home.

The date on the Lamborghini-issued Warranty Certificate of 7 July 1988 marks this out as one of the last of the 5000QVs to be built because its replacement, the Countach 25th Anniversary model, was launched just two months later at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. That revision did tone down some of the Countach’s styling eccentricities though, leaving the 5000QV remembered as the true brute, in both looks and performance.  
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## __**\[The** **List\]** Your Dream Drive made real__ {#h-the-list-your-dream-drive-made-real}

#### Clive Moore has lusted after the **Saab 99 Turbo** for decades, so we put him behind the wheel of one for a day to see if it lived up to his dreams {#h-clive-moore-has-lusted-after-the-saab-99-turbo-for-decades-so-we-put-him-behind-the-wheel-of-one-for-a-day-to-see-if-it-lived-up-to-his-dreams}

**Words** ANDREW NOAKES **Photography** JONATHAN JACOB

_Classic Cars_ reader Clive Moore lives in North Wales, 50 miles from the nearest dual carriageway and almost 100 from a motorway. ‘It does ensure that there is an abundance of great driving roads nearby,’ he explains. ‘These roads are reflected in the cars that I have owned. I have never had any real exotic cars but I did have an affinity for hot hatches.’ His list of previous metal includes Peugeots 205GTI and 309GTI, a VW Golf GTD MkII and a ‘white lightning’ Ford Escort RS Turbo. So forced induction is nothing new to Clive, though the pioneering Saab 99 Turbo is a car he’s long lusted over but has never had the chance to drive. We’re putting that right today.

‘There’s no doubt that the Saab’s talents have been acknowledged by car magazines and testers over the years and I’m intrigued to see how it measures up to the claims,’ he says.

Clive’s dream car list is wide ranging. ‘My list of top 10 cars includes those that I have either fond memories of, admired the most when I was younger, or would most wish to own should finances allow,’ he says. That encompasses everything from an early Range Rover (a step up in comfort from his own Land Rover Defender, which he says suits his active lifestyle and work with the RNLI) through classic sporting cars of the Sixties and Seventies to a genteel Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

## 'It’s compact, and has a clean shape with little ostentation’ {#h-it-s-compact-and-has-a-clean-shape-with-little-ostentation}

A Saab gets into the top 10 because Clive has always admired Swedish cars for their safety and comfort, and for their early successes in rallying. ‘The appeal of the 99 Turbo was driven by a journey I made as a passenger in one of the first production models back in 1979,’ he remembers. ‘It was one of the first cars I aspired to, because of the engineering and the solidity of them. I used to go and watch rallies in the late Seventies and I remember seeing 99s competing in the hands of Stig Blomqvist and Per Eklund. They were a bit fragile in UK rallies but did OK elsewhere. It was Saab’s last works rally car before the arrival of the Audi Quattro made the two-wheel-drive machines obsolete.’

Alistair Gregory’s Carmine Red 99 Turbo is one of the two-door cars that Saab produced to homologate the model for competition; three and five-door Turbos were also available. ‘It’s compact, and has a clean shape with little ostentation,’ says Clive. ‘It is quite subtle. Other than a discreet black air dam, the snazzy Inca alloy wheels and some badging there’s little to separate this from a run-of-the-mill 99. The Saab Turbo doesn’t shout at you like the established performance offerings from the likes of Porsche and BMW but, quietly, if offers genuine quality of engineering. Just look at the equipment it was offering as standard in 1978 – everything from four-wheel disc brakes and hazard flashers to halogen headlamps and a laminated screen.’

We pop the bonnet, a substantial forward-opening, clamshell affair, to take a look at the turbo motor underneath. The original 99 of 1968 used a mildly-modified version of Triumph’s slant-four engine, which subsequently went into the Dolomite. Saab produced its own 2.0-litre version in 1972. ‘Compared to the Triumph you can see how they reversed the engine, so the clutch is at the front and the gearbox is underneath, with the water pump moved to the side of the block for easier access,’ Clive points out. Saab planned a high-performance 99 with a Triumph Stag V8, but development didn’t get very far. ‘They made a few prototypes but then realised the turbo engine produced the same power with less weight and lower fuel consumption.’

**Enjoyed** **your teaser of Clive's drive in the Saab? Read more from this interview when you subscribe to Classic Cars today. Choose a :a[Print + Digital subscription]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/classic-cars-magazine?utm_source=classiccarsmagazine.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bau_classiccars&amp;utm_content=promo_subscribe_today_teaser_article' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} and you'll get instant digital access to this article and so much more.**

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Low emissions zones are spreading across the UK, making it expensive to drive non-compliant classic cars.

On 29 August 2023, London's ULEZ was extended from the area inside the North and South Circulars to include all London boroughs, covering much of the area inside the M25 motorway (:a[https://lruc.content.tfl.gov.uk/guide-to-ulez-expansion-2023.pdf]{href='https://lruc.content.tfl.gov.uk/guide-to-ulez-expansion-2023.pdf' }).

At the time of writing, the only other English cities with Class D ULEZ (:a[https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a-clean-air-zone#cities-with-clean-air-zones]{href='https://www.gov.uk/guidance/driving-in-a-clean-air-zone#cities-with-clean-air-zones' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}) affecting private cars, among other vehicles, are Birmingham (:a[**inside** the A4530 Middleway Ring Road]{href='https://www.brumbreathes.co.uk/info/25/welcome-2/45/charges-operation-1' }) and Bristol (:a[https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/view-a-map]{href='https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/streets-travel/bristols-caz/view-a-map' }). In Scotland, Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh are included.

### ULEZ exemption for classic vehicles {#h-ulez-exemption-for-classic-vehicles}

Cars registered in the historic vehicle class (more than 40 years old, on a rolling basis), and therefore road tax exempt, are also exempt from ULEZ charges.

Cars not registered in the historic vehicle class and which don’t have low enough emissions to be ULEZ exempt are liable for the ULEZ charge on each day the car **is driven** within the zone. It does not apply to cars parked.

You can check whether your modern classic is ULEZ compliant here: :a[https://pay.drive-clean-air-zone.service.gov.uk/vehicles/enter\_details]{href='https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/check-your-vehicle/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

ULEZ compliance/charge exemption is based on petrol cars having been **originally built to Euro 4** (or higher) emissions standards: • CO 1.0g/km • THC 0.1g/km • NOx 0.08g/km. Petrol cars sold in the UK from January 2005 had to be built to Euro 4 standard or higher, although some older cars were already built to this standard and are therefore ULEZ compliant. The TFL check-your-vehicle page above should confirm this for your vehicle. For diesel cars it's Euro 6.

### Can I make my non-compliant car ULEZ compliant? {#h-can-i-make-my-non-compliant-car-ulez-compliant}

ULEZ exemption is based on the standards that the car was originally built to but if it can be successfully modified to the required emissions, this would need to be verified by an approved vehicle certification agency.

If owners believe their pre-2001 vehicle is already compliant but they're being wrongly charged, they can apply to TfL with either a type approval certificate of conformity, or a letter from the manufacturer's homologation department.

### Can I rely on the TfL ULEZ vehicle checker? {#h-can-i-rely-on-the-tfl-ulez-vehicle-checker}

The FBHVC (Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs) warns that the ULEZ checker is unreliable and may flag up exempt classics as being liable.

### Is my classic exempt from the congestion charge? {#h-is-my-classic-exempt-from-the-congestion-charge}

Classics of any age are not exempt from the central London congestion charge. The zone and the times when charges apply is defined here: :a[https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge/congestion-charge-zone]{href='https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/congestion-charge/congestion-charge-zone' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

### Other useful links {#h-other-useful-links}

• :a[MoT and road tax exemption]{href='https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/mot-and-road-tax-exemption/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

• Ethanol-blended petrol and :a[E10]{href='https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/ethanol-blended-petrol-and-classic-cars/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

• White/silver-on-black number plate :a[rules]{href='https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/white-or-silver-on-black-number-plate-rule-changes/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

_The truth about how ethanol in fuel can damage your classic car. We explain how to avoid it._

From 1 September 2021, regular 95 octane unleaded petrol in the UK could contain up to 10% ethanol and is labelled E10, replacing the old E5 95 octane unleaded that could contain up to 5% ethanol.

Ethanol is added to petrol to make it burn more cleanly, but is has a number of side-effects, particularly on classic engines and their fuel systems.

1.  Because each molecule of ethanol contains one oxygen atom, it makes the petrol it is added to burn more leanly, which can affect performance and engine temperatures.

2.  Ethanol degrades several flexible materials commonly found in older fuel systems, including seals and pipework, leading to leaks. For a list of ethanol-incompatible materials and suggested replacements, see the fuels page on the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs website (:a[www.fbhvc.co.uk/fuels]{href='http://' }) and scroll down to the ethanol section.

3.  Because classic cars tend to be used infrequently and are commonly laid up for long periods, particularly over winter, they are more prone to the next two ethanol-related problems. The first is that ethanol is hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs water from the atmosphere. Until closed-circuit fuel systems arrived with modern fuel injection, fuel tanks and carburettor float chambers vented to the atmosphere. Absorbed water vapour will settle out in fuel tanks, causing corrosion in steel tanks and fuel lines, and rough running as the water disrupts the correct atomisation and combustion of petrol.

4.  The second infrequent use-related problem is that ethanol oxidises to create acidic by-products that corrode aluminium and brass components found in fuel systems and engines.

**How can I avoid or minimise ethanol-related problems**

1.  Leaner combustion can be compensated for by enriching the fuel/air mixture.

2.  Replace fuel system components with those made from ethanol-compatible materials where possible.

4.  Use your classic regularly enough to ensure that the fuel in it is regularly replaced by fresh petrol.

5.  Use a specialist corrosion inhibitor petrol additive.

6.  When storing a car longer term, for example, over winter, drain the fuel tank, lines, filters and carburettors.

**Are more modern classics safe to use E10?**

Most but not all cars built after 2000 can use E10 blended fuels. To check your car, visit :a[www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol]{href='http://' }

The All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group has ensured that super unleaded (97 or higher octane) petrol will continue to be limited to a maximum of 5% ethanol for five years, and it will push for availability to be extended in the future.

**Do any brands or grades of petrol contain no ethanol?**

Until 2023, Esso supplied ethanol-free super unleaded to some parts of the country, but this is no longer the case. Classic Cars is unaware of any other brands supplying ethanol-free gasoline for public use but if you know differently, please get in touch with the magazine.

Synthetic gasoline is now available in the UK, chemically identical to the fossil fuel-derived petrol, though blended with the needs of classic vehicles in mind so contains no ethanol. The first outlet – Motor Spirit –was established in June 2023 at the Bicester Heritage site in Oxfordshire and the network is gradually spreading from there. At the time of writing, Coryton Classic Super 80 – made with 80% renewables – costs £4.65/litre at the pump. A range of drum sizes is also available.

Because it's gasoline, its emissions of greenhouse gases at the tailpipe are the same as that fractionated from crude oil. However, its manufacture from renewable components using renewable energy makes it net zero.

#### **Other useful pages** {#h-other-useful-pages}

• MoT and road tax :a[exemption]{href='https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/mot-and-road-tax-exemption/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

• ULEZ :a[exemption]{href='https://www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/blog/features/ulez-and-classic-cars' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'}

##### On sale 13 March {#h-on-sale-13-march}

Inside the May 2024 issue of _Classic Cars_, **Quentin Willson** reveals his **Smart Buys for 2024**. The **Fiat 124 Spider, Daimler SP250, Aston Martin Vanquish, Ferrari 360 Modena** and **Jaguar E-type 4.2 Coupé** all represent great value and solid bets in a volatile market, so which one is right for you and your pocket? Let Quentin talk you into them.

We also drive a near-unique **Vignale-bodied Ferrari 212 Inter cabriolet** originally owned by a Ferrari-privateer race team boss, pit **rare Renault-powered Nineties French supercars from Alpine and Venturi** against each other, tell the protracted restoration story of a rare **Group 4 rally Audi Quattro** thrashed through the Jordanian desert and abandoned in a Shropshire field, put a reader in a Seventies high-tech **Saab 900 Turbo**, reveal the life story of a country-dwelling **Reliant Scimitar GTE** and show you how to buy a new-Millennium **BMW Mini**…

All that, plus our ever-entertaining columnists Quentin Willson and Alex Riley, market news and event highlights, the monthly highs and lows of our own classics, four cars for sale tested and more, make the May 2024 issue of _Classic Cars_ unmissable.

**The May 2024 issue of _Classic Cars_ is out now at all good newsagents, or why not subscribe?**

**:a[Choose your subscription here]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/classic-cars-magazine?utm_source=classiccarsmagazine.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bau_classiccars&amp;utm_content=promo_new_issue_bws' }**

#### It wasn’t just on screens that police Capris spelt disaster for criminals. Many real-life UK forces gave marked examples to traffic officers, including ex-police sergeant Geoff Roberts {#h-it-wasn-t-just-on-screens-that-police-capris-spelt-disaster-for-criminals-many-real-life-uk-forces-gave-marked-examples-to-traffic-officers-including-ex-police-sergeant-geoff-roberts}

**Words** ANDREW ROBERTS **Pictures** GEOFF ROBERTS/PAUL WALSH/UK MOD/REQUEST STOP PHOTOGRAPHY

The first Capri I used was a MkII 3.0S on the advanced driving course,’ says retired Greater Manchester Police sergeant Geoff Roberts. ‘It had a manual gearbox with no power steering; fortunately, all of the GMP’s traffic unit Capris had power steering.

Away from _The Professionals_ – with its smirking C15 agents, gripping car chases through Amersham and over-acting villains crashing FD-series Vauxhalls – several real-life police forces used the Ford Capri. By the Seventies, British constabularies had long employed sporting cars on traffic duties, from the Daimler SP250 and the MGB to the Sunbeam Tiger and the Triumph TR4. To commission the Capri, therefore, made perfect sense.

Lancashire bought its first MkI 3000GTs in 1971, and they also saw service in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Merseyside, Sussex, and Greater Manchester. Many drivers in Northwest England can still vividly remember the GMP’s liveried Capri 3.0S MkII and IIIs, with twenty last-of-the-line Injection Specials in 1986 marking the end of their association with ‘The Car You Always Promised Yourself’. Ex-sergeant Roberts regularly drove D444 KVM; over the past few years it has undergone extensive restoration to its full police specification.

Ford unveiled the Capri Injection in March 1981, the year Mark One Productions made the last _Professionals_ adventure. It was the first product of Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering department and combined the Granada MkII’s 2.8-litre fuel-injected engine with modified tyres, suspension and brakes. The five-speed transmission was standardised in 1983, and Ford launched the more luxurious Special in 1984. Production ended in November 1986 with the limited-edition 280.

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## _\[DRIVEN\] **AC 289 Sports**_ {#h-driven-ac-289-sports}

#### The **1967 AC 289 Sports** wears no Cobra badging, but it sang the swansong for the original speed-crazed snake. Just 27 were made –we drive the final right-hand-drive example built {#h-the-1967-ac-289-sports-wears-no-cobra-badging-but-it-sang-the-swansong-for-the-original-speed-crazed-snake-just-27-were-made-we-drive-the-final-right-hand-drive-example-built}

**Words** EMMA WOODCOCK **Photography** IAN SKELTON

Ka-BOOM. Thunder claps through the 1967 AC 289 Sports. The seat shivers and my sternum aches under the weight of a chewing idle. Dense sound floods from every direction with warm, rounded texture and bass that I feel as much as hear. One hand hooks around studded wood, my thumb resting against the flared and shining spokes of that iconic steering wheel. The other cracks left then forwards in tight stabs – planed shifter ball still cold in my palm – and punches into first. I hold my hip against sharp weight and the exhaust note grows, then flattens, then hardens as the roadster keens away. One word forms on my lips. Cobra.

Yes it is, and no it isn’t. You see, COB 6124 boasts the Ford 289 Hi-Po V8 that built the MkI and MkII Cobra legends on road and track alike, allied to the strengthened, coil-sprung chassis designed for the 7.0-litre might of the 1965-onwards MkIII Cobra 427, yet it and every other 289 Sports never actually staked a claim on the legendary name. Its Guardsman Blue coachwork and leather-lined cabin go without a single snake motif, confirming through their absence that Carroll Shelby bore no direct involvement with this AC Cars project.

It’s tough pinning any importance to what’s printed on the paperwork when my wrists are aching against tight, heavy steering and a wall of force is wilting my left leg. Then I make it through the gates of Girardo & Co. headquarters and finally let out the clutch. By the time the speedo moves off the stop, I’m driving an entirely different car.

Swelling and dropping, like a small boat on a gentle sea, the chassis oscillates and isolates. Precious little makes it through to the cabin when faced with these flowing, major roads. The steering talks but rarely kicks back, never gaining weight, while the upright and plumply-stuffed driver’s seat only telegraphs information when the coil springs drop further through their travel. I catch smooth-edged reports of long, vaguely damped movements to match the occasional nose patter or rear-end bounce, but they barely break through. COB6124 has swaddled me in its languid cohesion.

Gazing over sweeping wings, I struggle to match this successor with its 12-year parentage of visually similar AC roadsters. Leaf-sprung Aces and Acecas – plus earlier Cobras, I’m told – are bucking, bouncing paragons of feedback that hardwire the driver into the road below, whether you want the information or not. I’m pressing the same maker’s-marked pedals as ever, but the 1967 machine isn’t asking me to dance on them.

The 289 Sports is different from its Cobra 427-derived bones. Where MkI and MkII speedy snakes were a joint effort, dropping Shelby’s official Ford V8 supply into a Surrey-built rolling chassis closely related to late Aces, the very first 7.0-litre prototype proved that AC’s narrow frame and transverse leaf springs had hit their limits. Enter Ford, which used one of the first ever computer-aided automotive design processes to create something more sophisticated. Retaining little more than the old frame’s basic longitudinal tube layout, the new version used inch-wider main tubing, substantial bracing and an extra five inches between the frame rails, necessitating new bodywork with wider wheelarches. A larger radiator grille was also installed to improve cooling, ensuring the finished shape shared only a bootlid, bonnet and windscreen with its predecessor. A radical suspension redesign finished the job. Double wishbones and coil springs were installed all-round, complete with Ford designer Klaus Arning’s patented four-link assembly – originally mooted for the 1964.5 Mustang – at the rear. The final version involved input from Shelby’s Bob Negstadt and AC chief engineer Alan Turner to give the big block Cobra a fighting chance of staying on the road.

#### Relatively good value for a sought-after Cooper, Sam Dawson finds – and one that’s freshly restored and hard to fault {#h-relatively-good-value-for-a-sought-after-cooper-sam-dawson-finds-and-one-that-s-freshly-restored-and-hard-to-fault}

Nineties Mini Cooper values are soaring at the moment. Just under £16k for this one might look strong, but with mint low-milers commanding another £10k on top of that with some vendors, and only non-Cooper economy Minis from the Eighties still in bargain territory nowadays, it starts to look like pretty solid value.

Then bear in mind its relatively low 41,219 mileage. Although MoT certificates only go back to 2005, that only leaves four missing years early on in its life.

It’s also a fairly fresh restoration. The current owner – the latest of three – bought it in 2019, treated it to a complete suspension overhaul at Fleet Mobile to the tune of £2602 in 2020, followed with extensive £4504 bodywork restoration work at Auto Panel Craft two years later.

This flurry of work is reflected in the Mini’s condition. Aside from a few tiny scratches – middle of the bonnet, passenger-side headlight housing and next to the driver’s door – the bodywork is in excellent condition. Metal is smooth and ripple-free, paint is glossily consistent, decals are intact, clean and bright, and panel fit is as good as you’d ever get from the factory.

Also telling of a Mini of this era that’s been looked after, the plastic parts inside and out are intact and clean, despite being typically BL-grade, brittle and snap-prone. Inside, door-handles and window-winders operate cleanly and aren’t overly loose or stiff in their fittings – the usual precursor to them getting broken.

In fact, only some grubbiness to the tan parts of the leather steering-wheel binding, and fraying stitching on the leather gear-knob trim betray that the car has ever been sat in. With the exception of a tiny stain on one seatbelt, it’s entirely possible the rear seats have never been occupied, the stain-prone front-seat fabric is perfect, and the dashboard wood is glossy and undamaged.

#### **Is this unique** Alvis Speed 25 **the finest-looking British car of the Thirties? It has a strong claim to that title, and after years of careful refinement, it’s one of the best to drive, too** {#h-is-this-unique-alvis-speed-25-the-finest-looking-british-car-of-the-thirties-it-has-a-strong-claim-to-that-title-and-after-years-of-careful-refinement-it-s-one-of-the-best-to-drive-too}

**Words** NIGEL BOOTHMAN **Photography** LAURENS PARSONS

You can tell this car is something special at a glance, and the more you learn about it, the more your first impression is proved right.

It’s the only Alvis Speed 25 with this glamorous Offord ‘hidden top’ roadster bodywork. It is also the only Speed 25 built as a two-seater, not counting the various specials created in later decades. Come to that, it’s not purely a Speed 25 at all, because it’s no longer running a Speed 25 engine. The original 3.5-litre unit disappeared, possibly in occupied territory during the war, and after peace came it was fitted with a new 4.3-litre unit acquired directly from Alvis. Since then, it’s been through various adventures on both sides of the Atlantic, so it’s had something of a past.

Back in the present, we have this wonderful opportunity to drive it. The car is looked after by Fisher Restoration, which has a workshop here on the Chateau Impney estate near Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. The car has been busy recently, traversing Europe to attend concours events and adding to the impressive mileage covered in its current long-term ownership. Back in the UK, it’s been up to Scotland for the Alvis Owner Club’s International Alvis Day at Crieff Hydro, too. It should be fit, then.

Retard the ignition with the left-hand control on the steering wheel boss, flick the ignition key over, press the starter. It catches immediately and settles to a brawny, bass-rich idle, so we can advance the ignition and leave it there. There are two other quadrant controls on the steering wheel, one for the lights and the other is a hand-throttle, beautifully set up for keeping the big overhead valve straight-six happy as it warms. Each click on the pawl makes an audible difference to the engine speed.

Into first. The clutch is gentle and takes up drive smoothly with no need for leg-trembling care, while the famous Alvis all-synchromesh gearbox slots home through second, third and top with its usual silent ease, at the end of long-ish throws of the lever. I pull out onto the Worcestershire A-roads and within a few hundred yards, it’s obvious what a successful job has been done in sorting this example. I’ve driven seven or eight Alvis Speed 25 and 4.3-litre cars, and they are always charismatic and exciting but are tricky to get 100% right. Adjustment of brakes, suspension, steering and the way they all combine with coachbuilt bodies on flexible chassis can be cruelly exposed by British road surfaces. Not so here.

It feels collected, well balanced and fast. This Alvis pulls strongly from 25mph in top gear; that is not nursing it away but accelerating hard. Even with a recommended rev limit – some belt-and-braces engine work is coming up eventually – there is a lot of fun to be had, as 60mph in top is only 2500rpm. Indeed, the Alvis is right in its happy place between 45 and 65mph in that one gear, surging away from traffic as you leave a 40mph zone. I soon find myself pulling out to pass dawdling vans without needing to change down, though a drop to third does produce an exciting exhaust growl and a roar as the big SU carburettors draw air. Any 4.3-litre Alvis with a touring body was reckoned to be a 100mph car when new, and it feels totally plausible. Yes, you’d need a long road to overcome the Thirties aerodynamics, but you’d only be turning a little more than 4000rpm at the ton.

## _**\[Epic Restoration\]** Maserati Ghibli_ {#h-epic-restoration-maserati-ghibli}

#### After discovering his newly acquired **1969 Maserati Ghibli** harboured a concoction of hidden horrors, Australian Richard Freemantle project-managed a crack team of craftsmen to return it to its original Giallo glory {#h-after-discovering-his-newly-acquired-1969-maserati-ghibli-harboured-a-concoction-of-hidden-horrors-australian-richard-freemantle-project-managed-a-crack-team-of-craftsmen-to-return-it-to-its-original-giallo-glory}

**Words** STEWART PERRY **Photography** ROSS PERRY

An alkaline bath truly revealed the horrors hidden beneath the paint,’ says Sydney, Australia based owner Richard Freemantle of his 1969 Maserati Ghibli. ‘Once the ’shell came out of the tank, we could see quite a few things needing serious attention.’

The prospect of restoring the car had initially seemed enticing. ‘I’d recently finished renovating a Maserati Sebring when I came across two Ghiblis for sale at a deceased estate and thought one could be my next project. One had been restored by the owner and I didn’t fancy it, but this one, other than a pretty bad paint job and being overdue a lot of maintenance, was very original. I jumped at the chance to buy it.

‘In the early stages I researched the history of the car and found it was delivered to Australia new and featured on the June 1970 cover of _Sports Car World_ magazine. This, combined with it being a matching-numbers car, formed impeccable provenance.

‘At that point it appeared we could have wiped it down and kept it running, but under the surface there was rust and the motor was tired. I wanted to make it at least as good as when it was new, with a few subtle improvements along the way.’

Retired businessman Richard is hands-on with his projects, doing some jobs and sourcing parts himself. ‘I’ve done five cars now, and the only way to really see what you’re working with is to strip the car completely. In my experience any rust you can see usually turns out to be three or four times worse than you think. Once this was done I sent the Ghibli’s ’shell to Redi-Strip in Blacktown for the alkaline bath.

‘The car had taken a whack at the rear; the valance was superficially OK, but once it’d been dipped we found the filler was half an inch thick in places. Even though they looked fine at a glance the bonnet and doors had corroded in all the places where the sheet metal is placed over the frame.’

As is common practice in Australia, Richard assembled a team of expert craftsmen to restore the car across a number of workshops, including his own where final assembly took place.

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