Classic cars August Issue

Ferrari 512 BB

‘I’ve wanted a drive for 30 years’

Mercedes 280 SL 3000-hour battle with rust

Austin A30

Buying a ’50s cutie

Win 5 classics for the weekend

Their time has come – we drive our top choices from £7k-40k triumph Dolomite Sprint

ford Escort RS2000

bmw 3.0 CSL

opel Commodore GS/E

ford capri rs3100

pl u s

PRICE GUIDE QUARTERLY 306 climbers revealed

Tyrrell 012

F1 car braved on track

Rover 2000 TC Three family generations reveal its ups and downs

5 0 5

Corsica-bodied Invicta S-type driven

i s s u e

august 2015 • 1970s SCORCHERS • mercedes 280 sl • invicta low chassis • ferrari 512 bb • tyrrell 012 • rover 2000 tc • austin a30 buying • www.classiccarsmagazine.co.uk

’70s scorchers

‘It feels as though there’s nothing it couldn’t overtake’ p6

List: a reader gets to 6 The drive this Ferrari 512 BB

Invicta 66 Corsica-bodied S-type driven

Collector: 88 The David Angel

S P EC I A L I ST H E L P Insurance 193 | Services 200 | Clubs 211 BUY I N G O R S E LL I N G? Go to classiccarsforsale.co.uk 4

I N

CONTENTS

T H I S

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AU G U ST

2 0 1 5

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I S S U E

5 0 5

THE MONTH IN CARS 14 Wilton Classic Bugattis galore including Ettore’s personal Type 18 16 Brands Hatch Masters Double triumph for ex-Riccardo Patrese Shadow DN8 19 Events planner Great days out in the weeks ahead include the Lotus Heritage Track Day 34 Competition Win a classic for the weekend courtesy of the GT100 Club and Classic Cars 111 Your letters A reader recalls how he and a Hillman Imp smashed a record set by Stirling Moss 114 Next Month What to look forward to in September’s Classic Cars

THE INSIDERS 41 Quentin Willson watches a dragon emerge from his den to go racing in a Ford Anglia 105E 43 Tom Tjaarda revisits the Sixties and Seventies glory days of Turin’s design houses 45 Simon Kidston savours the Mille Miglia experience in a Jaguar D-type

OWNING 60 COVER Life Cycle Three generations of the same family reveal the ups and downs of owning, running and enjoying a Rover 2000 TC COVER Epic Restoration This Mercedes-Benz 280 SL went into the workshop for a 74 tidy-up but ended up undergoing a 3000-hour battle with rust 88 The Collector From Ford Consul Capris to Dodge Woody and Kaiser Dragon, this exquisite collection reflects the Americana-tinged tastes of custodian David Angel 98 Life In Cars Rally and racing driver John Sprinzel talks about the cars that changed his life, including a Standard Flying 12, Triumph TR2, Jaguar S-type and Iso Grifo 117 Our Cars Quentin upgrades his ’64 Ford Mustang , Nathan extracts the mangled motor from his Mercedes W123 and Malcolm discovers water in the oil of his Siam de Tella Magnette

DRIVING 6 46 66 82 94

COVER The List Policeman Stuart McNaughton has wanted to drive a Ferrari 512 BB for 30 years – now we’ve made his dream come true COVER Seventies Scorchers Their time has come – we drive a Ford Capri RS3100, BMW 3.0 CSL, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Ford Escort RS2000 and Opel Commodore GS/E COVER Invicta S-type Low Chassis We road-test an ultra-rare Corsica-bodied 4½-litre Villa d'Este class winner that's as much fun to drive as a Thirties Bentley COVER Tyrell 012 We follow in the footsteps of the late, great Michele Alboreto and a host of other F1 legends by braving the track in one of last great pre-turbo racing cars Renault 16R Fifty years after Renault first stunned the world with the 16, we explore the ultimate expression of this advanced family saloon

BUYING 22 S mart Buys Quentin Willson reckons steel-bodied Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud and Bentley S Series models are a steal, while the Ferrari 430 is his one to watch 26 Market Watch Russ Smith muses on the rise and rise of the VW Golf MkI

racer: 82 Pre-turbo Tyrrell 012

S UB SCRIB E

31 Temptations Eleven charmers to coax you into the sale room in the month ahead 36 Barn Finds Nigel Boothman unearths an unspoilt Bentley 4½-Litre and a Bugatti Brescia 102 COVER Buying Guide Nine essential steps to finding a great Austin A30 or A35 113 Books and Models New releases on the Lancia Delta S4, race legend Smokin’ John Rhodes and the Lotus marque, plus the latest scale models reviewed by Sam Dawson 124 Ads on Test Ferrari F40 (p124), Triumph Gloria Vitesse (p127), Mercedes-Benz 280 SE 3.5 (p128), Packard 400 hardtop coupe (p131) 125 Dealer adverts 196 Advertise your classic for free 212 COVER Price Guide Quarterly 306 climbers revealed 218 Classic Punts A reader rues the day he sold his Alfa 6C 1750

For the best-value deals, call today on 01858 438884, visit greatmagazines.co.uk/classics or p104

C O N TACT US

See p218

5

THE COLLECTOR DAVID ANGEL

From left: Ford Consul Capri, Sunbeam Rapier, Ford Edsel Ranger, Ford Edsel Corsair, Ford Cortina Super Woody Estate and Kaiser Dragon

T H E

C O L L E C T O R S

‘I believed in the Ford hype’ From Consul Capris to a Dodge Woody and a Kaiser Dragon, this exquisite collection reflects the Americana-tinged tastes of its custodian Words: ANDREW ROBERTS Photography: ALEX TAPLEY

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I

n the early Sixties a young car enthusiast named David Angel came across the grille of an Edsel in a scrapyard that specialised in parts from American cars left behind by US servicemen. On paying 10 shillings – ‘a bargain!’ – the grille was his, stimulating the dream that one day he would own the car it belonged to.

David was born in 1941 and grew up with US cars – his father bought, sold and ‘generally fixed-up American vehicles’. In the Seventies he appeared on ITV’s World of Sport driving his home-converted rallycross Mini Cooper S and today his collection reflects his appreciation of Americana.

1953 Kaiser Dragon

No-one could miss the Jade Green car with what David describes as the largest windshield in the industry. He acquired this Kaiser Dragon in the mid-Eighties from its importer Luke Arnott and it’s the only example in the UK. Over the past few years it has had the Bamboo trim and the carpeting repaired, the suspension, brakes and steering attended to, the chrome refurbished and the electrical system converted to 12 volts. The final touch is the handsomely retrimmed vinyl roof.

The Dragon originally competed in the upscale Cadillac market sector, but David says that because it’s powered by the

3.6-litre flathead six-cylinder unit from the cheaper Manhattan it struggled to find favour in the new car market. ‘By that time buyers would have started to expect V8 power,’ David concedes. ‘The performance on my car is, shall we say, sluggish.’

The Dragon does not want for luxurious appointments – the transmission is a GM Hydra-Matic auto, there is a gold-trimmed bonnet ornament and the owner could have his or her name inscribed on the glovebox lid. In addition, there is a fine Darrin Dip front windshield. The Dragon ceased production in 1953. ‘It’s hard to see how it would have survived without a more powerful engine,’ David says.

1937 Dodge Woody

The oldest member of the Angel collection looks poised to travel the dirt roads of Swamp Creek, Arkansas until David points out the right-hand steering wheel. The Dodge, which he says is not quite finished, is a prime example of how popular some US-derived cars were on British roads in the Thirties. ‘The chassis of my ‘Woody’ was built by Dodge in Kew,’ he explains. The station wagon – one of six examples made in the Surrey factory and the only one known to survive – is powered by a sidevalve six-cylinder engine. ‘It’s beefier than a typical car unit,’ David says. The body, designed to carry eight people on

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SPL ASH IT ALL OV ER

!

From th e dec roadbu ade of Brut 33 rners w e get fas and lairy tour Words ROSS ing-cart and lo ALKUR EISHI o s e Photo w ith the b inspired g ra p h y L AU est RENS PA RSON S

Clockwise from bottom right– Ford Capri RS3100, BMW 3.0 CSL, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Ford Escort RS2000, Opel Commodore GS/E 46

SEVENTIES TOURING CAR SHOWDOWN

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I N V I C T A S - T Y P E 4 1â „ 2- L I T R E L O W C H A S S I S D R I V E N

LOW DOWN Ferocious, yet elegant. Fast, yet easy to drive. Frighteningly complex, yet surprisingly trouble-free, this unique Corsica-bodied Invicta S-type made a rival Bentley seem hopelessly cumbersome Words BART LENAERTS Photography LIES DE MOL

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L I F E

C Y C L E

TH E L I FE STORY OF A

ROVER

2000TC

After 43 years, five house moves, 160,000 miles and one restoration, this smart P6 is ready for the fourth generation of the same family Words NIGEL BOOTHMAN Photography SIMON THOMPSON

1971 Sidney Pester buys his first new car at the age of 60 for £1927

Sidney Horace Pester was born in Croydon, Surrey in 1911. He spent his life there, only ever living in two different houses about 600 yards apart, working as a structural steel engineer for The Standard Steel Company from 1929 until a fateful day in 1971. After 42 years of service, he was made redundant.

At this time he was running a 1951 Triumph Renown, only the second car he had ever owned. With a redundancy cheque on the way, he decided he’d like to own one car from new, and that this was probably his final chance.

Being a thorough, practical kind of chap, he researched the various options until he’d narrowed down the choice to a Rover 2000 or a Triumph 2000.

Though Sidney enjoyed the Triumph’s six-cylinder smoothness, the four-cylinder Rover’s accomplished blend of ride quality, handling and excellent brakes helped him make up his mind.

This Rover 2000TC has cast three generations of the same family under its spell

The surviving purchase invoice from Leathwood’s Garages Ltd of Thornton Heath reveals an interesting choice of extras, including an expensive radio (£43.46 from a total of £1927.26), an electric immersion heater to pre-warm the engine and hence get the heater going on cold mornings and a set of deep-pile faux fur mats for a Rolls-Royce touch.

Sidney picked the car up on New Year’s Day, 1972. His grandson Martin, then aged 4½, remembers the preceding Triumph Renown but soon associated only one car with his grandfather.

‘My mum didn’t drive and my dad was a wireless radio car operator for the Metropolitan Police, so Sid drove us to school, on outings and on holidays. The Rover was always there,’ says Martin.

‘Sid started work for a mower company and brought home little Jap engines to fix on the bench in his shed,’ recalls Martin.

‘It was my first exposure to mechanical things, and he soon had me helping with KUV 499K.’

The Rover basks in the Bashley sun, about six months after joining the Pester family

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T H E

L I S T

‘It feels as though there’s nothing it couldn’t overtake’

Cop Stuart McNaughton fell in love with the 512 BB as a boy. Will he find it arresting to drive when we give him the chance?

Words SAM DAWSON Photography SIMON THOMPSON

6

CAR NAME THE LIST

7

1969 MERCEDESBENZ 280 SL

When the owner bought this Pagoda, it was billed as a dry-state car. However, the extent of its body rot suggested most of its life was spent elsewhere 74

M E R C E D E S - B E N Z 2 8 0 S L E P I C R E S T O R AT I O N

E P I C

R E S T O R A T I O N S

‘We could have used new panels but wanted to keep the truth of the car’ This US import was taken to In Autos for a tidy-up, but the more they took off the more the grim reality of its condition came to light

Words RUSS SMITH Photography ALEX TAPLEY

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FORMULA FORMULA ONE ONEFIRE FIRE Driven by the late, great Michele Alboreto and a host of other F1 legends, Tyrrell 012-1 was among the last great pre-turbo racers.

Ivan Ostroff finds out what it feels like from the driver’s seat Photography LYNDON McNEIL

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TYRRELL 021

Driving on the shoulders of giants, Ivan unleashes the Tyrrell’s mighty V8

J

ust behind the driver’s seat, on the rear cockpit bulkhead, the manufacturer’s tag identifies this green 1983 ex-works Formula One Tyrrell as chassis 012-1.

Next to the Union flag and the Italian national flag are two names – Ian Simmonds, the car’s current owner, and Michele Alboreto, the legend.

Ian has already put in a few laps to check the car and warm the engine and I am waiting impatiently while the oil settles, things mechanical ‘rest’ and the heat permeates the engine and gearbox internals. I’m thinking the car looks stunning in its original, immaculate green Benetton colours when at last Ian Simmonds gives me the nod.

I step over the sides on to the seat and, with hands on the cockpit sides for support, I do my best Nureyev impression, point toes south and slither both feet down under the steering rack, which intrudes across the base of the cockpit. With feet so far forward, I wonder how I’d extricate myself from a frontal shunt with trapped or busted ankles. Stupid, I won’t prang it, so I push such thoughts out of my head. I am ensconced, snug as a bug in a rug and about to drive a 500bhp car weighing 540kg. I feel good.

The carbonfibre Stack instrument pod has a line of warning lights and four switches along the bottom. One unmarked, the others labelled Pump, Main and, on the extreme right, Ignition. To my left are the main fuel supply cut-off and the Start button. On the right, the master switch and the fire extinguisher button. There is a Stack

rev counter calibrated to 13,000rpm with no red line and the suede Momo wheel has a Dymo reminder ‘3700rpm Second’ for the pit lane speed limit. I look forward and clock the big fat slicks.

Philip Gee is Ian Simmonds’ mechanical guru and the Tyrrell is his baby; I sense his concern as he leans in to pass me my helmet and balaclava. As I pull on my gloves he asks, ‘Okay?’ I nod.

‘Right.’ Philip pulls the Willans straps so tight, my crotch feels like it’s trying to hide somewhere behind me. ‘Comfy?’ he asks. If I try to answer it will probably be in a falsetto, so I nod again. Philip moves the ignition switch to ‘On’, hits the fuel pump and looks at me once again with an enquiring smile. I give him a thumbs-up and he presses the button. I have clear instructions – feet off, hands off.

‘Okay!’ he yells, as perhaps the greatest masterpiece of a Formula One engine ever, the mighty 3.0-litre Cosworth V8, fires up into urgent life. Even through my earplugs and helmet the unsilenced, raucous scream is truly amazing. The car is now a living entity. My pulse rate quickens, a final thumbs-up, Ian and Philip step back, I dip the heavy clutch, slip the stubby lever across the gate, then left and back into the slot for first.

In my head is a collage of 1983. Watson and Lauda at McLaren; Arnoux winning at Hockenheim; Mansell third at Brands; the appearance of Damon Hill and Ayrton Senna; when Piquet beat Prost. But most poignantly, the late Michele Alboreto’s win at Detroit in a Tyrrell 011 – the 155th and final win for the Cosworth V8 engine, just like the one that is right behind me now.

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