HAGERTY DRIVERS CLUB MAGAZINE_01_DIGITAL EDITION FOR ISSUU

DRIVERS CLUB ISSUE #1

WINTER 2024

Seventies superstars The most stylish GTs from Jensen, Citroën, Ferrari, Porsche, Mercedes, Maserati and Aston Martin

Inside the new saviour of Lotus road cars

Is this EV-powered DeLorean the future?

What to look for when buying an Audi TT

How Porsche created its techno-wonder 959

Unlock the full power of your HDC membership!

You’re already a part of the HDC family, but have you tapped into all the exclusive benefits waiting for you? Activate your portal login today and take advantage of incredible savings, competitions, and community events designed just for you!

Exciting competitions & exclusive offers: • Win an MGB! Enter for your chance to drive home in this classic car.

• Exclusive access to Hagerty’s Legendary Cars! Get behind the wheel of an iconic car from the Hagerty Collection in Gran Turismo.

Plus, unlock members-only savings with our partners: • Airbnb – 6% off your next stay • Motul – 15% off premium car care products • Costa – 10% off your favourite drinks • Dodo Juice – 15% off car detailing essentials • The Piston Club – save 10% on food and drink ...and many more!

More than just perks – connect with the HDC community: As an HDC member, you’re part of a passionate, growing community of car lovers. Here’s how you can get involved: • Free entry to Hagerty Hangouts - Meet fellow enthusiasts in an intimate setting!* • 25% off Hagerty Events - Don’t miss out on the Festival of the Unexceptional and other amazing gatherings.

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WELCOME

WHO TO CONTACT HAGERTY DRIVERS CLUB MEMBERSHIP hdc@hagerty.co.uk www.hagerty.co.uk/drivers-club 0333 323 1138

I S S U E # 1 I W I N T E R 2 0 24

This magazine is all about community We want to share the stories that make this classic world so special

By Mark Roper

WELCOME TO THE FIRST ISSUE OF your new magazine – and welcome to the Hagerty Drivers Club!

This quarterly publication will be one of many core benefits of the HDC, along with special discounts from our partners, access to exclusive member-only content and events. Most importantly of all, it’s a chance to become part of the Hagerty Drivers Club community, and join us whenever you can at our HQ on the stunning Bicester Heritage site.

This magazine is a big part of that. As you’ll see, we’ve already featured two early HDC members’ vehicles: an intriguing oneoff Alpine restoration project, and the Rough Inferior motorcycle special – which is actually anything but rough or inferior.

We will be covering all aspects of owning, using and simply admiring classic cars and motorcycles of every age and type.

We know from our market intelligence (more of that on page 87) that there’s a growth in interest in cars from the 1980s and ’90s, and nowhere is that more obvious than at our very own Festival of the

Unexceptional, which we also feature within these pages on its tenth anniversary.

There is also useful buying information on a true classic-to-be, the Audi TT Mk1.

But we at Hagerty love and appreciate the older cars, too – we take part in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run every year.

We have also included an introduction to pre-war cars for every budget in this issue.

In the more familiar middle ground between pre-war and modern classics, we have a range of sensational 1970s GTs. The Hagerty Price Guide confirms that the cheapest of these start at less than £10,000.

If you’re feeling really flush, maybe you’ll be inspired by Nik Berg’s ‘Carchitecture’ piece to rehome your own classic. And perhaps more controversially, we’ve also driven Electrogenic’s EV conversion of a DeLorean. Writer Mark Dixon’s verdict on the all-electric supercoupe is fascinating.

In addition to these one-off features, every issue of the HDC magazine will include contributions from familiar Hagerty faces, including TV car collector Paul Cowland, automotive adventurer Charlotte Vowden, the ever-sideways YouTube star Henry Catchpole, and our very own market expert and author John Mayhead.

Hagerty staff members will also be giving their personal insider insurance tips, and revealing more about the classic cars and motorcycles they own.

Most importantly, we want you to be involved, too – whether it’s to share your classic car or motorcycle stories, or simply to let us know what you’d like to read.

This is all published just for you, and we will welcome your feedback. In the meantime, enjoy your new magazine!

MARK ROPER Managing director of Hagerty International and chairman of the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance.

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REV UP YOUR REWARDS Scan the QR code for extra benefits!

EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES David Lillywhite david@hothousemedia.co.uk ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Sue Farrow sue@flyingspace.co.uk Rob Schulp rob@flyingspace.co.uk ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Elaine Briggs elaine@hothousemedia.co.uk ACCOUNTS Jonathan Ellis accounts@hothousemedia.co.uk PRODUCED BY Hothouse Media on behalf of Hagerty Drivers Club PUBLISHING DIRECTOR Geoff Love EDITORIAL DIRECTOR David Lillywhite MANAGING EDITOR Sarah Bradley CREATIVE DIRECTOR Peter Allen DESIGN Mal Bailey PRINTING Buxton Press © Hothouse Publishing Ltd. Hagerty Drivers Club and associated logos are registered trademarks of Hagerty. All rights reserved. All material in this magazine, whether in whole or in part, may not be reproduced, transmitted or distributed in any form without the written permission of Hagerty Inc and Hothouse Publishing Ltd. The Hagerty Drivers Club UK magazine is published four times a year by Hothouse Publishing Ltd on behalf of Hagerty. Great care has been taken throughout the magazine to be accurate, but the publisher cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions that might occur. The editors and publishers of this magazine give no warranties, guarantees or assurances, and make no representations regarding any goods or services advertised in this edition.

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INTERIOR

ISSUE #1 W I N T E R 2 0 24

46 CULTURE

COLUMNS

8

The owner: Resurrecting an Alpine A106 with a very mysterious past

18

A collector’s work is never done, says Paul Cowland – and he should know

12

The owner: Awardwinning bike is anything but Rough or Inferior

20

Why Charlotte Vowden is glad her MGA-loving granddad wasn’t a cliché

14

The specialist: Revitalised 1980s and ’90s Italian cars by AutoSportivo

22

Henry Catchpole on the rise of the road-ready rally restomod

16

The destination: Gilks’ Garage Café – a familyrun petrolheads’ paradise

17

4

The artist: Stefano Notargiacomo recycles broken car parts into art

FEATURES 24

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Seventies sophisticates: How to buy your ticket to 1970s GT greatness

40

Unique all-electric version of DeLorean’s legendary DMC-12 supercoupe

46

Now Classic Team Lotus opens doors to classic road machinery, too

54

In-depth story behind Porsche’s first great supercar, the 959

60

Exploring the fine art of Carcitecture with dream vehicle-storage solutions

64

Driving an historic MG at Montlhéry in 100th year of both marque and circuit

70

Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional celebrates the brilliance of blandness

40 60

92

Classic choices: Why prewar cars make such great ownership propositions

96

Staff cars: The people behind Hagerty pile on the miles in their own classics

SERVICE 78

Events: Meetings, cruises and places to go with your classic car or bike

98

Rearview mirror: Welcome to the new HDC magazine, from boss McKeel Hagerty

80

Products: Round-up of automotive-inspired goodies and books to buy

99

Insurance tips: What you need to know about insuring a classic

80

82

Car maintenance: Top tips for getting your classic ready for winter

86

Driving tips: What to look out for when driving a classic, with Paul Ripley

87

The market: Hagerty’s AutoIntel gives Insight into classic car market

88

Buying guide: Ultra-stylish 1998-2006 Audi TT Mk1 is a future classic to watch

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96 5

BRITISH AUTOMOTIVE DESIGNED WATCHES

BY MATTHEW HUMPHRIES DESIGN

MHD Watches are designed in the UK by Automotive Designer Matthew Humphries, who at 21 was made the Chief designer at Morgan Motor Company. Matthew is best known for designing cars such as the stunning Morgan Aeromax, Morgan Aero Supersports and the Morgan 3 wheeler. Established in 2014, MHD Watches are an independent British watch micro brand who produce limited edition motoring inspired watches. Starting from £595 including free worldwide shipping.

Join our mailing list for early access to new MHD watch releases, events and exclusive offers at www.mhdwatches.com

Culture HDC: your classics, your passion

8 THE CAR OWNER Resurrecting an Alpine A106 with a mysterious past

12 THE BIKE OWNER Award-winning Rough Inferior custom bike is anything but

14 THE SPECIALIST AutoSportivo revitalises Italian cars from the 1980s and ’90s

16 THE DESTINATION Gilks’ Garage Café, a familyrun petrolheads’ paradise

17 THE ARTIST Stefano Notargiacomo makes art from broken car parts

18 THE COLUMNS Musings from Paul Cowland, Charlotte Vowden and Henry Catchpole To be featured, email hdc@hagerty.co.uk XX

T H E OW N E R

Mountain of a job Chris Pollard is no stranger to restoring cars, but his latest challenge, this Alpine A106, looks set to be the biggest, as well as the smallest, yet

Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Rick Noel / Sprite Photography

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“I’M FAR FROM A PERFECTIONIST – that’s why things get done,” laughs Chris Pollard. “Just like why some people do jigsaws, I find restoration therapeutic.”

Chris does exude an almost zen state of calm, despite – or perhaps because of – his front garden being home to a number of projects: a 1967 Volkswagen Type 2 Splitscreen he’s owned since the 1970s, a stepnose Alfa awaiting paint, an MGB and an MG Midget. His barn also contains his highly successful MGB racer, a Healey Sprite Sebring replica project – and the car we’re here to see, the Alpine A106. Perhaps restoration needs to be offered on the NHS...

Then again, even for an experienced home restorer, the Alpine looks set to be the most challenging project yet. But what exactly is an A106? In 1955 Jean Rédélé, a Dieppe-based Renault dealer, had the hots for motor sport. His idea was to use 4CV underpinnings with a lightweight glassfibre body to rack up victories, ultimately with the aim of winning competitions and thus sponsorship from Renault. The resultant A106 soon started notching up wins, most notably when Jean-Claude Galtier and Maurice Michy took first in class on the 1956 Mille Miglia. As the launchpad for Alpine the car is a very important part of the brand’s history, although it’s believed that only 50 or so A106s survive on the continent, and Chris’s is the only one in the UK. “I bought it on a whim – this thing was parked up right at the back of one of the sheds at Anglia Car Auctions. I didn’t know

THIS SPREAD Having qualified as a nuclear physicist, Chris turned his notinconsiderable brains to the enigma that is restoring old and broken-down cars.

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what it was, but it was nagging at me,” he recalls. Fortunately, he had seen it on the Friday preview day, but it wasn’t to be auctioned until Sunday. “My girlfriend encouraged me to put in a cheeky bid, so I put in a commission bid on Saturday,” he adds. “I didn’t think I’d get it, because it was so cheap – but lo and behold, I got it.”

That initial price was £1800, although the restoration costs kicked in immediately: “I got a speeding ticket on the way home, with the Alpine on a trailer,” he laughs.

So, just what had he bought? “I found some web pictures of it when it went through a Dutch auction in January 2024, and it had Dutch paperwork and plates. It looks like it’s had a replacement chassis/floorpan at some point, which will need restoring,” he says. “All the bits are identical – engine, ’box, brakes, floorpan. It is only 747cc and 21bhp, but it’s quick because it weighs nothing.” A mere 540kg, in fact…

“What I think happened is that they’ve got the bodyshell from an A106 that has rusted out or been crashed, and cut the body off a solid 4CV – rather inexpertly,” he muses. “Then I think they just gave up.”

Such fears don’t worry Chris, although it’s going to be a mighty job. “The body was just resting on the floor pad, and it didn’t fit well – whoever had done all the hacking about hadn’t quite cut the metal away properly,” he says. “The bodyshell actually sat six or seven inches further back than it should have done; it was just resting on it.”

The better news is that, mechanically at least, the Alpine is not as bad as it may first appear. “It rolls, the brakes work, as do the steering and clutch,” he says. “The engine turns over on the handle – I don’t think it will take much to get it running.”

The body and chassis will provide a sterner test. “My original intention had been simply to fabricate the steelwork to fit, but on reflection I think the car deserves more, so I’d like to try to recreate as close as possible the original underlying panels,” he says. “I’m going to try to track down a bare chassis, inspect it, take photographs and take measurements. There are none in this country, so it looks like a trip to mainland Europe is in order. I know there was a restoration done in Holland, by a Dutch Boeing engineer, but there are 9

probably others in France or Belgium.”

Chris has been restoring cars for 55 years, although his career took him in a different direction. After qualifying as a nuclear physicist, he went on to work in research positions in telecoms and television. His previous restorations, meanwhile, have included a Lancia Fulvia and a Porsche 911S 2.4, although he says his main love is MGs. “I usually do all the mechanical stuff: engines, dabbling with gearboxes and electrics – I even do some of the trimming,” he explains. “I do some of the bodywork, but I don’t have the full facilities, and I don’t weld often enough to be good at it.”

However he really does get stuck into the research: “It’s going to be an interesting challenge because there isn’t a lot known about the car, nor any diagrammes or reference manuals – this project’s going to be about the detective work as much as it is the engineering work. I have a source of bits in Greece, and there’s a guy in the South of France. If I ever need a replacement windscreen, I’d have to drive down to get it.”

One of the more curious parts of the car’s history is the current state of the glassfibre body. “It’s clear someone said to their kids, here you go, go and paint it – it’s covered in all sorts of colours, in poster paint,” Chris says. Although the temptation is to simply lacquer the body, sealing in this part of the car’s history, the nature of poster paint means he’s more likely to repaint the

‘An interesting challenge, because there isn’t a lot known about the car’

THIS SPREAD The Alpine’s history is shrouded in mystery – not least exactly where it acquired that bonkers paintjob...

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car fully. The glassfibre body is also in need of repair, with cracks in a few places – but Chris is unfazed. “I’ve restored boats and planes, and the bodywork is simply there to cover the car – it plays no structural part,” he says. “Finding someone who can supply the windscreen rubber is more of a challenge.” If anyone can help, let us know…

Alongside its art deco-style flourishes, Chris loves the car’s simplicity – such as a heater system working off the engine that requires just two flaps to open, and an ingenious wheel design: “To change it, you unbolt the rim from the spoke,” he explains.

“It leaves the star bolted to the drum – the wheel is just the rim with five little flanges.”

So, when does he expect to have the car finished? “I aim to get it running next year, then sort out the basic panels. The only structural metalwork is the sills, which aren’t rusty but have been cut off, so I’m going to have some new ones fabricated. The plastic body fits over the sills and is bolted on,” he says. “After so many restorations, I have had a hankering to build something from scratch – and this is almost like that.”

And, when it’s all done, what’s the plan?

“How about a spot of hillclimbing?” he beams, suitably calmly. We’re sure Jean Rédélé would approve, 70 years on.

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T H E OW N E R

Inferior monologue Award-winning Rough Inferior custom bike is anything but rough, or inferior - and it speaks to its maker’s determined efforts to make the best of what he has around him

Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Jonathan Jacob

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“I LOVE BROUGH SUPERIORS – THE whole Lawrence of Arabia, Rolls-Royce of motorcycles kind of thing,” says Nicky Sykes. “I could afford one if I wanted to, but I just decided that I wanted to build one.”

The result is the Rough Inferior – which is not only an amusing riff on the bikes that TE Lawrence loved and ultimately died on, but also betrays the sheer ingenuity and manufacturer quality of Nicky’s efforts.

He’s certainly no stranger to restoration, having been “messing around with bikes” since he was a teenager. His day job saw him repairing diggers and excavators, but when he retired aged 57, he could focus on his passion for restoring cars and bikes.

This particular build started just over a year ago, based around a BSA B31, with a V-twin engine that’s derived from several sources.

“The bottom end is from a 1927 Royal

Enfield, and the barrels and pistons are from a Matchless, put together with a BSA gearbox,” Nicky explains. Then he started thinking about the fuel tank: “Well, I looked under my work bench and found an Ariel tank, but it wasn’t big enough – so I put it on the bandsaw, straight down the middle, and widened it by three inches.”

It’s clear that he is certainly not averse to getting stuck in. “I’ve done up some bad bikes in the past, some that looked like they came from the bottom of a canal. They ended up beauties: nothing scares me,” he says.

A good example of Nicky’s ingenuity can be found in the side panel – on one side it’s an oil tank, the other it’s a tool box. “I welded it up all the way around and put some fixings inside, making it into an oil tank so that each side looks the same,” he explains. He even turned his attentions to the paintwork – it was all by his hand.

“The biggest challenge was the frame – getting the V-twin in there and making it look like it belongs there,” Nicky says.

Some parts of the build came about almost by accident: “My friend said he had a new old stock Brooklands exhaust in his shed, so he dug it out – I put it on and it just sort of went into place with the side panel.

The gauges are standard Smiths, the wheels are BSA, and the mudguards came off something else – so I had to cut and chop them to make them fit.”

Nicky finished the build in April, just in

‘I’ve done up some bad bikes.

They ended up beauties: nothing scares me’

time for a motorcycle show in nearby Skipton, North Yorkshire where the reception was mostly hugely positive. “A couple of people were like, what’s he done to that Royal Enfield, he’s ruined it – but that was a load of crap,” Nicky says defiantly. “It would have been a box of bits otherwise.”

Thankfully, the majority of onlookers were full of praise, awarding the Rough Inferior the public vote. The big question, though, is what’s it like to ride?

“It’s alright – it’s heavy, but most of the big old stuff is anyway,” Nicky grins.

“I just wish I could ride it more; it’s not charging at the moment. I don’t want to go out and get a flat battery – it’d be a long way to push such a big bike.”

He is currently waiting for his dynamo expert to come back from a multi-month sojourn, but he has got other bikes and projects to play with in the meantime: “I’ve got a 1924 Scott motorcycle I’m going to do a few jobs on, as well as a Moto Rumi – I’ve got the barrels off and I’m putting some new piston rings in it.”

With the Rough Superior set for some more show action early next year, thoughts inevitably turn to the next ground-up project. “I went on Facebook and came across a 1930s BMW – the guy said he’d just found it in his shed. I sent him a message saying, if you don’t want to do it, I will,” Nicky laughs. “I love a challenge – and I’m always looking for the right one.”

THIS SPREAD Nicky’s creativity and superb workshop skills have resulted in this unique custom machine, as well as a raft of further two-wheeled projects.

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T H E S PE C I A L I S T

Forza Italia AutoSportivo has become a big name in Italian specialist circles, but it’s taken passion and determination to get through some difficult times

Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Rick Noel / Sprite Photography

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THERE’S A PLACE IN A QUIET CORNER of Bedfordshire where Italian automotive heroes from the 1980s and ’90s are revitalised and loved. At the head of it all is Antonio Damiano, the man behind AutoSportivo – one of the UK’s leading Fiat Coupé specialists as well as the originator of a popular YouTube channel.

Ant started his career at a Fiat and Alfa Romeo dealership, before working at Millbrook. “Then I was made redundant – I ended up running a tanning salon,” he laughs. However, gently toasting humans wasn’t where his heart was at. “I was buying cars, fixing them and selling them.

I thought, you know what, it’s my passion – I want to go into cars full time.”

He even sacrificed his beloved Alfa 147 GTA for seed money. He explains: “I had a

THIS SPREAD Ant Damiano (below) is one of the UK’s top Fiat Coupé specialists, as well as knowing his way around Alfa Romeos and Lancias.

He’s an Italian car fan through and through.

business partner, but he was a plumber – I was doing all the work. He left, just when I opened this place.” Without a business partner, and with a child on the way and rent due, Ant found himself toiling away at all hours of the day, doing general servicing.

“I remember sitting against a radiator with my head in my hands, wondering how I was going to make it work,” he says.

Salvation came in the form of a Fiat Uno Turbo, which he had bought as a shell. “I carried on working on it in the evenings, and eventually it got finished.”

This was around eight years ago, when 1980s and ’90s hot hatches were starting to catch hold in the market. “I wrote to Modern Classics magazine, and it featured my Uno Turbo. This opened doors to other mags, and I started to be taken seriously.”

Since then he’s become known for restoring and fettling Fiat Coupés. “A lot of people who bought their Coupés new put them away, and they have now started wanting restorations,” he says.

The Coupé was a very popular car in the UK, but huge servicing bills from Fiat dealers soon sapped enthusiasm for the model.

“The book time for the cambelt change was 48 hours, and you had to take the engine out. So when the work was due at five years, people would simply chop the cars in rather than spend the money,” Ant says.

That’s not the case these days, because specialists such as him have drastically cut

‘The Coupé is a baby Ferrari: for the performance, they’re great value for money’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

the time down to a small percentage of that. “We disconnect the engine from all of its mounts, put a trolley jack underneath, disconnect the hubs and move the motor across, which gives us just enough room to get in there and change the belt, tensioner and water pump,” he explains.

He’s a big advocate for the Coupé. “It’s a baby Ferrari: for the performance, they’re great value for money at £8k,” he says, advising that special editions such as the LE or Plus models are the ones to seek out.

They are also far more reliable than you might expect: “I had a Coupé in here last year with 230,000 miles, still on its original engine. I sold it to a man in Italy – I couldn’t believe he wanted to drive it back there.

He did, and it’s still going.”

Parts supply is good – Ant breaks the worst examples for his eBay shop – but he’s also become known for his work on rare Italian hot hatchbacks. Along the way he has set sales records for the Fiat Uno Turbo and Tipo Sedicivalvole, as well as the Coupé. He’s turned his attention to Alfa Romeos and Lancias, too.

It’s clear that the passion for Italian cars is strong. “I’ve worked for Audi, and driven loads of Mercedes and BMWs, and they’re boring – there’s something special about Italian cars,” he says. “You connect with them, they’ve all got unique personalities.”

More at www.autosportivoltd.co.uk and www.youtube.com/@autosportivobedford.

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T H E D E S T I N AT I O N

Gilks’ Garage Café Evocative petrolheads’ meet-up spot in UK’s automotive heartland Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Ian Skelton

“MY GRANDPARENTS NEVER THREW anything away – which came in very handy,” Katherine Gilks laughs. She, father Keith and a merry band of enthusiastic staff have turned what could have been a problematic family heirloom into the thriving Gilks’ Garage Café on Banbury Road, Kineton, Warwickshire, slap bang in the centre of UK automotive’s heartland.

That ‘heirloom’ was first an agricultural repair shop, and then an Esso garage, that had been in family ownership since the 1940s. “When my grandfather retired in 1996, the premises were left vacant for a decade,” says Katherine. “With my father retiring from the fire service, we started to think about what to do with the place – we came up with the idea of a café.”

To further enhance an already great idea, all of the memorabilia, signs and fitments are all original, and come from the location’s many years as the reliable village garage.

That local feeling is wrapped up into the food Gilks’ provides. “It’s okay having a quirky building and good, old-fashioned service, but unless you have quality food, it all falls over,” says Keith. “From the word go we wanted to use high-quality local produce – for example, our sausages are gluten-free British pork with natural skins, and our bread comes from either a familyrun bakery in Kenilworth or one in Clinton.”

Gilks’ has become an event destination, with Triumph Owners’ Club members enjoying a hearty breakfast on the Sunday we attended. “We do several pop-up events, one of which is Café Conversations, hosted

by Autocar journalist Steve Cropley,” Keith 16

explains. “We’ve had such guests as Mike Brewer, Robin Bowles and Bob Powell, now the technical director of Aston Martin F1.”

The café is only a few miles from Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover’s Gaydon premises, while Coventry, Banbury and Milton Keynes are all within easy reach.

“We are so rich with automotive businesses in this area, it’s amazing,” he says.

Themed cars and cuisine nights are also popular: “One of our chefs is Italian, so we put on a proper Italian food night – that’s gone down a storm.” Keith will also bring back the popular American nights in 2025, subject to managing car-parking spaces.

Despite the success of the café, which HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

has seen pop-up Gilks’ outlets at events such as Rustival at Gaydon’s British Motor Museum, there are no plans for franchises.

“It wouldn’t have the same heart as it does here where it’s family run,” Katherine says.

Keith is glad to be part of the HDC family. “It’s great to be partners, and it’s brought more customers and awareness that we exist,” he says. Katherine adds that the biggest thanks goes to the patrons. “We thought it’d be a small café on the edge of a village, but it’s been so lovely and humbling to have the support we’ve received.”

More details at www.gilksgaragecafe.com.

HDC members can grab a FREE hot drink when purchasing goods at Gilks’ Garage Café.

THE ARTIST

Bright idea THIS SPREAD Quality food, old-fashioned service values, an authentic history and great social events; Gilks’ Garage Café in Warwickshire is a perfect destination for petrolheads.

Don’t throw broken car parts away: Stefano Notargiacomo’s artistic eye has another, more illuminating use for them Words Nathan Chadwick

ALTHOUGH HE HAILS FROM ROME, Stefano Notargiacomo has a philosophy that is rooted in Japanese culture: “It’s wabisabi – the beauty is in the imperfections, because they are unique and original.”

Wabi-sabi is a concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence: impermanence, suffering and emptiness. All of which may be familiar to any owners of temperamental classic cars...

Stefano’s idea is to repurpose broken or worn-out mechanical parts as something new. For example, a Ferrari 348 cam cover, Jaguar Mk2 bonnet hatch or a Vespa headlamp that’d otherwise be binned have been turned into desk lamps or sculptures.

“My passions are classic cars and interior design; I put these together to create oneof-a-kind artworks,” he explains. After choosing the parts and designing the shape, he picks the materials – be they fabric, acrylic or marble – and tasks Paralumi LAR, a small craft workshop with history dating back to 1938, to bring the designs to life.

“Different markets have different tastes: in Asia they love Ferrari and Lamborghini, HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

while in Europe it’s all about Porsche,” Stefano says. “There is an elegance in the shape of these cars, which makes it better for me to design something that’s interesting for interior design.”

His talents have seen him being commissioned to create prize trophies for concours in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UAE. “It’s very important the clients feel the passion through my work – each creation has a name, a title, that also describes the artwork – but also the feeling that I try to communicate.”

Despite his busy schedule, his day job is entirely different. While he has a diploma in graphic arts, his degree is in political science, and he works in a separate field.

“When someone commissions a lamp, for instance, I am constantly thinking about how to harmonise the design throughout the day,” he laughs. “My dream is to have a boutique in Milan, Rome or London.”

He has further aspirations, too: “I’d like to create something, maybe a sculpture, for a museum. That could be very interesting.”

See more at www.stefanonotargiacomo.it.

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PAU L C OW L A N D

My favourite car? The next one…

ABOVE Paul claims that he can give up his collecting habit any time.

We’re not so sure...

A collector’s work is never done – says he who knows CAN A PERSON HAVE TOO MANY cars? I’m personally trying to explore that notion at the moment. I’m not sure quite how it happened, but in the same way that some sweet old ladies collect and save stranded cats, I seem to have become the automotive equivalent; taking in waifs and strays, and nursing them back to health with a saucer or two of V-Power, all the while reassuring myself that this is entirely normal behaviour.

To my mind, classic car maths is easy. If one old car is great, then two must be twice as good. And you can extrapolate that dissertation-level maths theory to any infinite number you like. Well, at least up to whatever your bank balance, storage and spouse will permit. The truth is, I think we all have it in us. You’re just much better at controlling it than I am, that’s all...

Think back to your childhood. Did you own just one Matchbox car? A singular Hot Wheels? I very much doubt it. Even as small children, we understand the joy in collecting and the fun in buying ‘the next one’. No Gran Turismo garage ever felt right without a decent smattering of the automotive great and the good within it, and the fun was always finding the next lust object, making it better, and then driving it for the first time.

Over the years, these life experiences have definitely formed the template for my current problem. I mean, hobby.

I have often tried to analyse what makes car collecting so much fun. There is the thrill of the chase, of course, the joy of 18

putting a deal together, and then the genuine pleasure in researching and learning about your chosen automotive squeeze. Then, once the deal is done, there’s all the excitement in getting to know the car, and with a 30-year background in tuning and restoration, for me at least, working out how I can make it better. And this never seems to get old.

Perhaps it’s the thought of finding that forgotten rarity underneath a tarpaulin? I am lucky enough that it’s happened to me several times, many of which have been captured on screen. For any true automotive enthusiast, it’s unspeakably exciting. Not only finding a car such as the off-shorepowerboat-engined, 900bhp GM prototype that is the 1984 Pontiac Tojan, but also getting the chance to negotiate to take it home once you have.

Those moments are very special… and this bring me neatly to the next point: the people. Over the past three decades I have met some of the nicest folk on the planet while searching for classic cars, and many remain friends to this day. I’ve obviously met some right idiots, too. But then I tend to make television series with those.

If you ask me what my favourite car is in my collection, you’ll get a different answer

‘I take in automotive waifs and strays, and nurse them back to health with a saucer or two of V-Power’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

depending on what day of the week it is. I often don’t know what the next one I want to buy will be until I see it. There have been cars I’ve always wanted to own. I’m lucky enough to have a ‘flatnose’ Porsche, which was a poster I had on my bedroom wall as a kid, and it’s the same story with the Viper.

Other cars have just come into my life because I happened to be at an auction and thought “that’s cheap” or “that’s quirky”.

The weird thing about being a collector is it’s often the motors that come to you.

I have often wondered whether I should stop. Collecting classic cars is very time – and cash – consuming, and had I not taken this path, I would probably live in a much bigger house and go on significantly more lavish holidays. But then I wouldn’t have had the experiences or roadtrips that I have had, or met the people that I did.

Originally I had planned to have amassed 50 cars by my 50th birthday. We’re a little beyond that now and, apparently, printing off my individual policy documents for each yearly renewal at Hagerty HQ wipes out any possible commission made, simply in printer cartridge use alone.

I’m pretty sure I can give up at any time.

Right? If I just put down the phone, stay away from the auctions and not look at the mags. But where’s the fun in that? I’ll keep taking the vitamins, living clean – and let’s go for 100 by 100. I’ll just tell the Hagerty guys to send me the PDFs instead.

Restorer, writer and co-star of TV’s Turbo Pickers and Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars, Paul Cowland is also a Hagerty ambassador.

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F E AT U R E R E P E AT E R

C H A R L O T T E VOW D E N

Why I’m glad my granddad was a cliché ABOVE Having fun with like-minded friends isn’t sad – it’s aspirational. #retirementgoals.

Doing what you really love will never be stereotypical IN THE SUMMER OF 1991, MY LATE grandfather became a cliché. A moccasinwearing retiree with a little bit of pocket money and a lot of spare time, he realised a boyhood dream and bought himself an MGA. A red convertible one, of course. He joined a car club, wore branded clothing and took part in marque-specific organised tours. He even won a few rosettes.

He disliked rainy days, made the most of the sunny ones, and decommissioned his roadster for winter by the book. The affection he bestowed upon his racy little companion, called Frisky, was resented by my grandmother, not least because participation in his hobby would in all probability ruin her perm.

My grandfather was, by all accounts, a stereotypical owner of a classic car. And yes, statistically he was. But for him, the milestone of reaching pensionable age meant speeding up, not slowing down, and for that I admire his joie de vivre.

By definition, (ref ‘cliché’ in the Cambridge Dictionary) partaking in a pastime he enjoyed with his peers made him “not at all original, surprising or interesting”.

I knew him, of course, and he was anything but. In reality his ownership of the MGA made him stand out as a grandfather who was indelibly cool.

When I inherited his chariot red roadster after he passed away in 2017, unfortunately I didn’t inherit his effortless #inspo vibe.

My first drive was a learning curve that felt like a disaster. With a garage full of manuals, accessories and tools, I had all the gear and 20

no idea; I was that cliché without a clue. I hoped wearing his flat cap would help.

The catalogue of errors began with my decision to take the A out for a summer’sday spin. I didn’t, however, check the forecast before departure. Setting off sans windows and sans comprehension of how the soft-top should be correctly erected, my journey was predictably interrupted by a biblical downpour of the most soakingwet kind of rain. I recall that hailstones made an appearance, too.

While water pooled in the creases of FSK 302’s impeccably polished leather seats, I struggled (and almost sobbed) in the corner of a service station car park. As the clichéd damsel in distress, I was glad to be rescued by not one, but two knights in shining armour. More knowledgeable owners of old vehicles than I, they offered both help and a hot cup of tea. Sparing any judgment that might make me feel like the stereotypical ditzy blonde, they were chivalrous in their approach.

Back then, it would have been fair to say that I was mechanically inept – but today, that certainly is not the case, and I’ve done it without obsessively thumbing the pages of a manual that goes by the name Haynes.

Clichés, of course, can be a source of

‘In reality, his ownership of the MGA made him stand out as a grandfather who was indelibly cool’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

great banter, and as a society I think we are great at making light of our own absurdities. Indeed, the British sense of humour exists in a class of its own... but clichés used unwisely can cause problems.

At worst they can be used to downplay or disguise discrimination. Let me tell you a short, exemplary story.

Once upon a time, as I refuelled FSK 302, a man approached me with a mildly amused expression on his face. Here we go, I thought to myself. “A pretty thing like you should be perched on the bonnet,” he scoffed, “not trusted behind the wheel.”

But no, he wasn’t finished. Gaze now averted towards my dad, his parting pièce de résistance was as follows: “Women drivers: you wanna watch out. She’ll wreck that lovely car of yours, mate.” I was, to his benefit, lost for words, and my dad, mercifully, didn’t hear.

Such a situation makes me wonder how many other people have had their classic car experiences undermined by clichés that are outdated and quite frankly offensive? Who’s had their four-wheeled acquisition dismissed as a tragic midlife crisis attempt to have fun? My late grandfather had to wait until retirement to realise his dream, and there’s nothing sad or desperate about that. I’m glad he was able to live his #bestlife behind the wheel of a classic car, because it’s thanks to him that I’m now getting to live mine.

Follow automotive writer, presenter and adventurer Charlotte’s #adventureswithfrisky on Instagram @charlottevowden.

H E N RY CAT C H P O L E

The rise of the rally restomod ABOVE MST’s Group 4 Escort restomod is one of the best of an already impressive breed.

As raw and raucous – and road ready – as they come THE RISE OF THE RESTOMOD HAS been rapid in the past few years. At times it has felt like I could fill my film allocation for the Hagerty YouTube channel solely with cars that have been restored and modernised.

While the OGs come from the artisans at Eagle with their gorgeous E-types, Alfaholics with their fabulous GTA-Rs and Singer with their reimagined 911s, there are now a whole host of other outfits putting various spins on classic cars. At times it has seemed as though every farm in Oxfordshire must have a barn with a bunch of Porsches being backdated and beefed up.

The problem is that with proliferation comes a bit of ambivalence. A sector that initially seemed special has started to seem, superficially at least, saturated. For what it’s worth, I think there is still plenty of room for more. Of course I don’t want there to be a dearth of original 964s, but I don’t think there will be. In reality restomods remain relatively scarce, but because they intrigue and excite they are probably overrepresented in the media. Mea culpa.

That being said, there is one particular niche within this niche that I’ll happily over-represent every day of the week and twice on Sundays: the rally restomod. It’s a small subset that is gradually growing, and I think it is producing some of the most appealing cars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of them have come from places that already make full-blown rally machines – places that understand the excitement of driving a rally car not only on a stage, but also on the public road. I remember very 22

clearly taking M-Sport’s then-new R5 Fiesta over the Honister Pass in the Lake District (with Elfyn Evans sitting, unusually for him, in the co-driver’s seat). I didn’t drive the ferocious Ford anywhere near its limits, but it was still utterly fabulous.

The obvious question, then, is: “Why not just buy a rally car?” To which the answer is: “Because not everyone wants to wear ear defenders on journeys of more than five minutes.” Although all the rally restomods I have tried would still be considered pretty noisy by any normal NVH barometer, they are nonetheless much more habitable than something specifically built to shred special stages.

The other option that might initially seem to negate the need for a lot of rally restomods is buying one of the many original homologation specials available.

The trouble is that while there will be some mechanical crossover and the looks might be very similar, in my experience the driving experience is always a pale shadow of the actual competition car. Power and torque are generally a significant chunk down, the transmission is far less extreme and the dampers are much less capable. As a result, rally restomodders all tend to start with a competition car and then civilise it,

‘These rally restomods all capture the fantastic feel, ferocity and sense of agility inherent in the real deal’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

rather than starting with a road car and then trying to pump up its performance.

It’s certainly a recipe that works. MST in north Wales offers an impeccable incarnation of a Group 4 Escort. Kimera in northern Italy will sell you a very interesting Group B blend of a Lancia 037 with an S4’s engine and modern suspension. Maturo in the Netherlands has taken all its knowledge of the Group A Lancia Delta Integrale, added a carbonfibre body and some Alcantara trim, and produced something that drives in a way that Juha Kankkunen would instantly recognise.

And, finally, Prodrive has produced the P25, which is perhaps the most remarkable of all because it takes the technology that the Banbury-based company developed for Colin McRae and Richard Burns’ WRC cars in the late 1990s and early ’00s, and transfers it into a road car.

I have been lucky enough to drive genuine examples of rally cars from each era, and these restomods all faithfully capture the fantastic feel, ferocity and sense of agility inherent in the real deal.

Whether they reduce enough of the rawness is a question of taste (they often make even a GT3 RS seem quite refined), and all bar the Escort are frighteningly expensive. But if you like driving along thinking you can hear the voice of Nicky Grist or Robert Reid calling pace notes, then there’s nothing quite like them.

Journalist and Hagerty YouTuber Henry began his road-testing career on Evo and has competed in the British Rally Championship.

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SEVENTIES SOPHISTICATES You might think the grand tourer is irrelevant now – a budget airline is cheaper and a diesel SUV will chomp through Europe on barely more than a tankful. However, neither option offers the romance and wonder of our seductive seven. Here’s how to buy your ticket to 1970s GT greatness Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Magic Car Pics

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Mercedes-Benz SLC Stylish and sophisticated, the SLC might not cost the Earth to buy but behind the wheel you’ll feel like a million dollars

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WHEN IT CAME TO REPLACING THE venerable W111 coupé, Mercedes-Benz set its eyes squarely on the American market with a car that offered the space and pace necessary, but with added sporty verve.

Despite outwardly looking like little more than a hard-top R107 SL, the SLC actually boasted an extra 36mm in the wheelbase, allowing for full-size rear seats.

It would be the only time the S-Class coupé would use a stretched SL chassis, rather than a specific S-Class one.

The resultant car was a compact but comfortable GT, but it certainly didn’t live up to the traditional view of luxury living – the interior fixtures and fittings were well made yet somewhat stark. There was no vast excess of soft leather and overly plush seats; what you were paying for was the marque’s huge engineering expertise.

On the road these models still feel supremely solid, seemingly able to pound away the miles in refined comfort. It’s not the quickest of machines – even in its fastest form you’ll be out-dragged by the average shopping car these days. However, few of them have such a pillowy-soft ride, and such an overwhelming feel of rightness.

Although later versions of the R107 SL were heavily galvanised, early SLCs were not well rust-proofed by the factory, and it wasn’t until after 1980 that Mercedes-Benz used cavity injection to avoid rust. Nevertheless,

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you still need to inspect the front and rear valances, and underneath the bumpers.

Water tends to collect here, causing rot from the inside out. You’ll also need to check the sills, jacking points, wheelarches, door bottoms and windscreen surround.

The biggest problem area is the rear bumper corners, which will probably need replacing.

The subframe is also a known rot spot, and any clogging around the air intakes at the base of the windscreen can lead to expensive bulkhead repairs. You’ll need to lift up the footwell carpets to inspect the metal’s condition from both sides. Another way to check is to open up the heater blower’s plastic cover on the bulkhead, and take a look for any signs of corrosion.

The SLC was offered with a range of six-cylinder and V8 engines, and these are robust units if maintained well, with truly enormous mileages entirely possible.

However, any blue smoke on start-up points to worn valves – these need replacing every 70,000 miles, which is how long the camchain and tensioner last. If the engine is making any ticking or tapping noises from the cylinder head, it’s likely the hydraulic tappets need checking, which is a good time to have the stem seals replaced.

If the engine is overheating, it’s likely the radiator is in need of replacement.

All gearboxes are typically robust – most can go for 150,000 miles without a rebuild.

Back axles can grow noisy with age, and are a four-figure sum to have recommissioned.

Parts commonality with other MercedesBenz of the era means that the brakes, suspension and steering are relatively easy and inexpensive to care for. While the SLC is noticeably more squishy to drive than a late-1980s SL, it should never wallow like a hippo. Worn dampers are usually to blame, while any knocks and

‘The resultant car was a compact but comfortable GT, but it certainly didn’t live up to the traditional view of luxury living’

clanks are often due to worn anti-roll-bar links. However, if the subframe mountings have failed, this costs a lot to fix.

If the car still feels like it is floating too much, the steering box will require either adjustment or repair; 90,000 miles is a good indicator for when the system needs some love. Warped brake discs are often common – these are heavy vehicles, after all – and can cause the car to pull to one side or make excessive groaning noises.

Few would say that owning a 1970s GT car is an entirely sensible option, but the SLC makes a great case for being just that: indeed, with regular maintenance and liberal application of anti-rust treatment, there’s no reason why you couldn’t use one of these all year around. You’d certainly cut a more sophisticated shape than turning up at the office in a copy-and-paste crossover...

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Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC Engine 4520cc/V8/sohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 3-spd auto Power 225bhp @ 5000rpm Torque 279lb ft @ 3000rpm Weight 1635kg 0-60mph 8.8sec Top speed 134mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £7700 Good: £10,000 Excellent: £15,800 Concours: £26,500

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Maserati Khamsin A glorious merging of Italian supercar strength and French ingenuity – plus Gandini greatness

THE GHIBLI WAS NOT ONLY A defining GT of the 1960s, it was also one of Maserati’s biggest sellers, with 1295 finding owners. Then-owner Citroën fancied a piece of that action with a more conventional GT than the mid-engined Bora.

Of course, this being Citroën, the company’s definition of ‘conventional’ is rather different – hence the Khamsin.

When first displayed on Bertone’s 1972 Turin Auto Show stand it drew gasps from the crowd, but this was far more than simply show fodder. The rear glass panel, with the ‘floating’ lights, was designer Marcello Gandini’s way of improving rear visibility compared with most sports cars.

However, there was plenty of room for Gandini to unleash his desire to be different

– check out the asymmetric bonnet vents.

The Khamsin’s suspension was a far cry from that of the old-fashioned Ghibli – it had double wishbones all around with coaxial springs and dampers, plus anti-roll bars. It also used the Citroën SM’s DIRAVI speed-sensitive assisted steering, vented disc brakes fore and aft, and extensive hydraulics, plus a fairly novel adjustable steering column. It went as well as it looked, too, courtesy of a 4.9-litre V8 inherited from the hottest Ghibli, the SS. It was good for 170mph-plus in European spec, and should have been a winner – but it wasn’t.

Launched into the eye of the early-1970s Oil Crisis storm, it soon suffered from Citroën’s collapse, and sales barely reached a third of those of its illustrious 1960s forebear. This all means that today it’s a rare gem that provides a very different driving experience to most of the big rearwheel-drive GTs on our list, and it’s certainly one of the most distinctive looking. It’s not the roomiest in the back, however – even that era’s skinny David Bowie would fail to slither behind the front seats.

The mixture of Citroën and Maserati might make for a challenging soupçon of ownership guai, but the engine is tried and tested. However, always perform a compression and cylinder leak-down test, because long-term-stored Maserati V8s are prone to developing stuck and then broken

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piston rings. The unit is known for weeping head gaskets, mostly as a result of irregular servicing – the antifreeze needs changing every two years, irrespective of mileage.

Check the oil pressure: due to unreliable dials, use an external device to check that it reads no more than 1 bar when idling, and 3 to 4 bar when revved. Any more than that, and a costly rebuild is in order thanks to wear on crankshaft main bearings. The good news is that well maintained engines should last up to 80,000 miles.

Suspension-wise, the lower balljoints need greasing every 1500 miles and replacing after every 20,000 miles, with wishbone bushes lasting 15,000.

The hydraulics are complex; the most serious issue is failure of the steeringhardener pump or the belt running to it from the driveshafts. The steering is as light at 100mph as it is at 10mph, which is a challenging driving experience. Also listen out for clonks from the braking system, indicating that a regulator is cutting into the clutch slave-cylinder activation, so causing low pressure. The hydraulic pipework can also rot and leak, and rainwater in the system can lead to unpredictable failures.

This being an Italian classic, rust is a persistent problem, so do check the outer sills, lower doors, bonnet, A-pillars and tailgate. Also ensure that the Alcantara boot trim is still airtight – this can shrink over time, and where the load-space floor meets the rear outer panels it can allow exhaust fumes back into the car.

The Khamsin isn’t for everyone – the wedgy looks and hydraulics are an acquired taste. Yet for those who want to feel as sharp as the Gandini styling, very little gets close...

Maserati Khamsin Engine 4930cc/V8/dohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 5-spd manual Power 320bhp @ 5500rpm Torque 354lb ft @ 4000rpm

‘This rare gem provides a very different driving experience to most of the big rear-wheeldrive GTs on our list’

Weight 1680kg 0-60mph 6.6sec Top speed 171mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £58,700 Good: £88,500 Excellent: £107,000 Concours: £159,000

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Aston Martin DBS V8 Chiselled good looks and a throaty engine that kicked off an entire generation of Astons. Very persuasive...

ANY MODEL THAT FOLLOWS UP A lineage as iconic as the styling epoch that encapsulates the DB4, DB5 and DB6 has to be special – and the DBS was certainly that.

While not everyone loved Aston Martin’s more muscular direction, it captured the assertive zeitgeist of the late 1960s and early ’70s beautifully. Aimed squarely at the US market, it could be argued that this was Newport Pagnell’s take on the muscle car.

Williams Towns’ design blended subtle curves with a sharp ‘coke-bottle’ styling that almost defined the long-legged GT look.

The only problem was, the beefy V8 that was meant to spearhead the car’s launch wasn’t ready yet – instead, the DBS started life with the familiar straight-six in standard and Vantage tune. Nevertheless, the car was universally praised on launch – even if it did gargle through petrol and oil with ruthless abandon.

The V8’s appearance in 1970 upped power to 320bhp but did alter the balance of the car; the straight-six models offered 50:50 weight distribution. The V8s also used Chrysler’s Torqueflite three-speed auto, rather than the six-cylinder’s three-speed Borg-Warner BW8; a ZF five-speed manual XX

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was the self-shifting option across all cars.

Behind the wheel, the DBS remains a much more civilised model than the one it was intended to replace (but never actually did), the DB6. More luxurious and spacious inside, and smoother-riding, too.

However, armed with the ZF five-speeder, it can certainly get the blood up for those drivers who like to get stuck in.

Prospective owners also need to get stuck into checking any potential purchase carefully for signs of rot. Unlike the later V8 and Vantage models, whose prices have rocketed into six figures for most examples, the DBS has yet to follow suit.

However, the restoration costs will be the same, and they are not made easier by the car’s mixed use of body materials.

Aston fitted aluminium panels to a steel frame, leading to electrolytic corrosion – you will need to pay close attention to the edges of the wings, doors and A-pillars, followed by the sills. These need checking from both underneath and within the cabin. While repair panels are relatively inexpensive to buy, fitting and painting them won’t be.

Underneath the aluminium exterior, the steel frame itself rots almost with impunity

‘Aston Martin’s more muscular direction captured the assertive zeitgeist of the late 1960s and early ’70s’

– key areas to check are the two steel box sections parallel to the sills, especially where they are connected to the suspension turrets, as well as the front footwells and engine bulkhead. Parts are hard to come by, so bear in mind that you may have to have certain items fabricated.

As for the V8 powerplant, listen out for rattling – this can indicate either a worn water pump or stretched timing chains.

Seals can fail too, due to block corrosion at the bottom of the rear wet liners, ultimately leading to water and oil mixing.

The engine is also prone to overheating, and this, along with neglected corrosion inhibitors, can lead to failed head gaskets.

Crank bungs are known to drop out as well, indicated by very low oil pressure.

Despite all this, the V8 can be very long lived, and can survive 150,000 miles between rebuilds if well maintained.

If the autos are strong and smooth, the manual option is quite the opposite. It was never a slick change, and noisy layshaft bearings and crunchy synchros indicate trouble; clutch replacement is expensive.

The DBS represents the apex point between Aston Martin epochs, its aesthetic purity compared with the later V8s offering a singular appeal that’s difficult to resist.

After all, everyone knows the V8 and Vantages – a DBS V8 is arguably the connoisseur’s choice...

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Aston Martin DBS V8 Engine 5341cc/V8/dohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 5-spd manual Power 320bhp @ 5000rpm Torque 330lb ft @ 5000rpm Weight 1727kg 0-60mph 6.0sec Top speed 162mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £39,300 Good: £67,700 Excellent: £99,300 Concours: £119,000

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‘It’s easy to imagine many hours effortlessly reeling off the miles on a steady stream of torque, cigar in hand’

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Jensen Interceptor MkIII American V8 might, British trimming and Italian style – and perhaps the greatest car name of all. It’s also still great bang for your buck

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IF THE ASTON IS ARISTOCRATIC, Jensen’s Interceptor is refreshingly grounded – after all, 7.2 litres of Detroit muscle is nearly 2.0 litres bigger than the Aston’s V8.

More is most definitely more...

To paint the Interceptor as a muscle car rather than a GT undersells the exquisite style Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera imbued. Although the long-bonnet, smallcabin teardrop shape might not have been totally new in 1967, the huge expanse of the rear glass area made the Jensen very special. It also made it strikingly practical – you could argue that it’s perhaps a very over-endowed proto-hot hatch. Indeed, we know of several Interceptors that served as daily cars right into the 1980s.

Owners love the Chrysler V8’s big-hearted character. While it’s true that the threespeed auto robs it of some urgency – and this Jensen is certainly not a sports car in the corners – the model was all about midrange torque. It’s hard to imagine much else, save for even more exotic fare, doing much

to trouble the Interceptor on the motorway.

Inside, the Jensen might not quite match the Aston for gentleman’s-club fixtures and fittings, but it’s still a deeply comfortable place to be. It’s easy to imagine many hours effortlessly reeling off the miles on a steady stream of torque, cigar in hand, epic prog rock on the stereo.

Describing where the Interceptor might rust is similarly wide in scope to a ’70s concept album. They can go pretty much anywhere, but your first appointment will be a close inspection of the windscreen surround, wheelarches and footwells. Next, check the top of the chassis rails, front and rear valances, jacking points, tailgate support and crosstube under the car.

The good news is that, for the most part, the drivetrain is strong and parts are easy to source. However, thanks to this reputation for solidity, some owners neglect the engine – and if you hear rumbling on start-up, this could be problematic.

These V8s don’t like to be left for a long time, nor used only on short journeys – it’s been known for motors to fail at 50,000 miles if they’re not given long enough to stretch their legs. Check the engine bay for unkempt wiring, and signs of water or lubricant leaks from the radiator, oil cooler and power steering – overheating is a big bugbear. A smoky exhaust and uneven engine note could indicate a burnt valve.

The better news is that, thanks to good parts commonality with Chrysler’s vast muscle-car scene, replacement parts are easy to find, as are performance upgrades should you be suitably inspired.

The Chrysler Torqueflite gearbox is

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supremely robust, and even if it does need a rebuild it won’t break the bank. Failures occur only if the ’box runs out of fluid. The diff is equally long-legged – you should see 70,000 to 80,000 miles before you’ll need to have the bearings sorted.

This is a 1960s-70s British car, so you should expect some level of electrical intrigue, although a high-output alternator can help. The suspension also has a lot of work to do given the Interceptor’s heavy weight, so check for sagging rear springs.

The Jensen might not have the same level of prestige as the Aston Martin, but its charms come in its ability to deliver big-hearted performance without the horrendous bills that can make Aston ownership a challenging financial prospect.

As the Americans might put it, this car has definitely got bang for your buck.

Jensen Interceptor MkIII Engine 7210cc/V8/ohv/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 3-spd auto Power 305bhp @ 4800rpm Torque 410lb ft @ 3400rpm Weight 1814kg 0-60mph 6.4sec Top speed 135mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £19,000 Good: £30,800 Excellent: £44,300 Concours: £59,400

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CAST YOUR EYE AT ANY SOCIAL media outlet, and it’s hard not to be overwhelmed by the cult of 911. Porsche’s rear-engined golden child long ago transcended the world of cars, and has become its own cultural reference point.

Where does that leave its intended replacement, the smoothly stylish 928?

Despite a growth in values over the past ten years or so, this object lesson in engineering excellence still represents great value for money – in the classic Porsche world, not much gets close to it in terms of performance per pound.

The very earliest examples might not be

Porsche 928 It might not have been the 911 replacement initially planned, but Stuttgart’s spaceship still makes our hearts soar

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the swiftest – the 237bhp 4.5-litre V8 engine has a fair chunk of weight to lug around, after all – but it does represent the concept-car-made-real 928 in its purest, unadorned form. Later models, such as the S introduced in 1979 (pictured here), upped the power to 300bhp courtesy of 4.7 litres – and from there it steadily grew until the car finally went off sale in the mid-1990s.

However, it is the earliest 928s that win the heart: not only do they lack the sunroof and spoilers of later cars, but the telephonedial wheels and Pasha interior trim mark these cars out as true icons of 1970s style.

Even better, the majority of early ones had manual gearboxes, unlike later iterations.

Inside, these feel every bit as much of a spaceship as the Anatole Lapine-penned exterior – the sculpted cabin architecture looks like something from Buck Rogers’ craft, and the chunky switchgear has a wonderfully Germanic feel. Think Tonka Toy after a trip to a vodka bar and you’re somewhere close – until the ’90s, 928 trim could be as colourful as your language when the V8 delivered its power payload.

Behind the wheel these are pure GT cars – although the chassis has 50:50 weight

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distribution, they are not light or agile, particularly in their early forms. Instead, they feel like cars to lay waste to autoroutes, with the glorious baritone roar of the allaluminium V8 as exquisite accompaniment.

They were engineered to last, so it’s not uncommon to see 928s with huge mileages, and healthy for it. The downside is that when something does need replacing, parts can be expensive, with labour costs not helped by just how tight everything is.

Also, it doesn’t have the 911’s plethora of cheaper, non-OEM substitute spares.

Finding a specialist that knows their way around the front of a Porsche may also be an issue, as will dealing with the notoriously awkward electrics. These cars were top-ofthe-range luxury GTs and thus festooned with electric everything – fault-finding a 928 can be a huge challenge.

Servicing costs are on a par with other classic Porsches, at £200-£600 for an annual check-up. Yet corroded brake and fuel pipes, soggy engine mounts, leaky power-steering pumps and those electrical maladies will inevitably push the annual spend upwards.

You’ll need to budget for a cambelt every

‘Just look at it – is there any car from the 1970s that still looks as current as the Porsche 928?’

four years, which will cost around £1500, including the coolant pump. The antifreeze itself will need to be changed at a similar interval, while brake-fluid replacement will be required every two to four years.

As these cars advance in age and reach 100,000 miles, suspension and drivetrain bushes will be increasingly in need of replacement, although clutches can last up to 70k-80k miles (and are a £1000 job to renew). The Mercedes-Benz-sourced auto gearboxes are reliable, but if they’re awkward and slow, check for any fluid leakage from the torque converter or transmission itself.

The 928 might be described as being dull compared with a 911, but that is simply foolish; few things can sizzle the synapses when that V8 is in full song. And then just look at it – is there any car from the 1970s that still looks as current as the 928?

Porsche 928 Engine 4474cc/V8/sohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 3-spd auto Power 237bhp @ 5250rpm Torque 268lb ft @ 3600rpm Weight 1451kg 0-60mph 7.5sec Top speed 142mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £8300 Good: £12,800 Excellent: £18,000 Concours: £29,500

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06 Citroën SM This vision of otherness represented the future. All these years on, it still looks and drives like nothing else

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ALL OF THE CARS ON OUR LIST LIVE up to the concept of sophisticated living, but it’s arguably only the model before you that is truly sophisticated itself.

The SM was a long time coming – work started on a sporty version of the DS back in 1961, but it would take a tie-up and then absorption of Maserati to bring the concept to life. Its Italian heart would eschew GT convention for V8s and V12s, largely because France heavily restricted luxury-car output.

As a result, the SM’s 2.7-litre Maserati-built V6 might not boast a great deal of power, but on the right road – as in the moon-like surfaces that pass for the average UK highway – we’d not bet against the Citroën showing most rivals here the way home.

The car fully utilised hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension, allowing the SM to smoothly maintain progress on roads others might struggle with. Also, its frontwheel drive might upset traditionalists, but it means surefooted onward progress. Add in variable-assist power steering, selflevelling lights and an all-disc braking system that could adjust front-to-rear bias according to the weight over the back axle, and this was cutting-edge engineering.

However, it is the styling inside and out that instantly beguiles. Designed in-house

by Robert Opron, the teardrop shape was more than simply pretty – Citroën claimed a drag co-efficient of just 0.26 (later revised

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to 0.339). Mainstream motors wouldn’t get anywhere near that for another ten years.

The inside was a vision of modernist style, which instantly made historic definitions of luxury car interiors redundant.

From behind the wheel, the SM isn’t about the shock and awe you might find elsewhere on our list. The thrill of driving one comes not from adrenaline, but from the unique experience its suspension and steering provide – and, of course, catching sight of yourself in shop windows as you pass by.

SM ownership does involve some level of adrenaline, though – and that comes from keeping it on the road. Such complicated cars require dedicated specialists – an all-black wiring loom and an exhaustmanifold-routed throttle linkage are notable examples of such challenges.

SMs are prone to rust, most obviously in the front wings, wheelarches, door bottoms and rear-wheel spats, while the Duralumin bonnet suffers from electrolytic corrosion via its metal trim strip. Meanwhile, the power-steering system takes some getting used to, but any pulling to one side or failure to self-centre suggests servomotor problems or damaged suspension arms – an indicator of poor crash repairs.

Any odd noises from the V6 should be an immediate cause for concern; any timing-chain rattles indicate that they haven’t been adjusted at the suggested 10,000-mile interval and, as such, could fail at any moment. Excessive tappet noise is common, and the sodium-filled exhaust valves often go wrong on cars that see little use. An aftermarket fix will cure this.

Setting up the six Weber carbs will require a skilled hand, and a fuel-injected car will necessitate the ready availability of an extinguisher – the injectors can leak

‘It won’t deliver full-blooded thrills, but it will prove to be smoothly satisfying in an entirely unique manner’

and catch fire, although fitting more modern units solves this problem.

As soon as the engine starts, the hydraulic theatrics should commence with a return to normal ride height. If it struggles to get up, or does so only on one side, this indicates hydraulic issues. Check the seals, pipes and spheres for corrosion and leaks.

Finally, if you’re wondering why the airconditioning won’t switch off – well, it doesn’t, which means you’ll have to put up with its noisy chuntering. If it isn’t working, this could affect the smooth running of the car’s entire system. Alternatively, a DIY offswitch or an upgraded, quieter aftermarket system might be an option.

The SM experience is quite unlike any other car, and is a sign of refined taste.

No, it won’t deliver full-blooded thrills, but it will prove to be smoothly satisfying in an entirely unique manner.

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Citroën SM Engine 2670cc/V6/dohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain FWD, 5-spd manual Power 168bhp @ 5500rpm Torque 170lb ft @ 4000rpm Weight 1450kg 0-60mph 8.9sec Top speed 135mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £19,800 Good: £36,300 Excellent: £47,200 Concours: £63,500

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Ferrari 365-412 For many years it was treated as a bit of a joke, but now this fine Fioravanti wedge is getting the recognition and admiration it has long deserved

IF YOU’RE A SEASONED READER OF automotive literature, you’ll remember the unholy trilogy of Ferrari failures, which always seemed to hover in that dangerous hinterland where a top-spec new Mondeo cost the same. Well, to buy at least...

While the Mondial still awaits its cultural renewal, the 348 and the 365/400/412 have started to be respected and coveted.

Looking back now, it’s hard to see why the latter were so hated for so long. A lot of it could be down to the 400 and 412’s auto option – from GM, no less. It was never going to win the hearts of those for whom an apex is a target rather than an obstacle.

For everyone else, however, there is so much to love. Admittedly, it’s taken a while for Pininfarina’s Leonardo Fioravanti styling to truly come into its own, and we’re not sure the bright red of the later 412 pictured here suits it, but there is a charmingly refined elegance that’s sadly missing from Maranello’s current line-up.

This is a Ferrari for people who don’t need to tell other people they own a Ferrari.

It is a proper Prancing Horse – the Colombo V12 is a version of the same engine that powered the marque’s most famous cars, including the 250 GTO. This is no stripped-out racer, though. Instead, it is a deeply special place to be, with swathes of leather, more knobs and switches than Rick Wakeman’s music room and an overall feeling of rightness, other than an awkward, long-armed, short-legged driving position.

It offers spirited performance, and you soon forget that it can weigh up to 1800kg.

The big-hearted V12 might not be as vocal as its sportier brethren, but it’s beautifully smooth and still tingles your ears.

For every high note there is, of course, a

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low note. Keeping any V12 Ferrari on the road will test the limits of your patience and bank balance, and because these graceful machines were so unloved for so long, many were run on a shoestring.

Even if the car has been looked after, it’s been many years since this Prancing Horse has galloped on a daily basis. No motors like sitting around, but it’s especially true for Italians – perished rubber, bound calipers and nibbled wiring may be common on all long-sat vehicles, but most models have a spares network or are valuable enough to warrant limited runs of remanufactured parts. Sadly, despite an increase in values, these cars have yet to garner this attention.

The V12 is strong, but the auxiliary belts need changing every three years, and setting up six carbs is a specialist job (later, fuelinjected cars are easier to look after). Sorting cracked exhaust manifolds can cost well into four figures due to the labour involved.

Awkward access is also why a replacement clutch will require a similar number of digits.

Revitalising a rusty wreck will never

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make financial sense – and these Ferraris do like to corrode around the floorpans, sills, boot floor and window line. New parts are no longer available, and used replacements will not be cheap.

If you’re feeling put off by all this, a Ferrari V12 was never going to be a sensible idea. Sensible is boring, though – and this well sculpted wedge will never be that.

Ferrari 365 GT4 2+2/400/412 Engine 4390cc/V12/sohc/ naturally aspirated Drivetrain RWD, 5-spd manual Power 335bhp @ 6000rpm Torque 311lb ft @ 4600rpm Weight 1500kg-plus 0-60mph 8.0sec Top speed 155mph Hagerty Price Guide Fair: £34,000 Good: £45,100 Excellent: £72,000 Concours: £91,700

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E L E C T R O G E N I C D E L O R E A N D M C -1 2

PAST John DeLorean’s ‘supercoupe’ was never quite as super as he’d promised.

FUTURE Forty-three years later, a unique electric version has realised its potential

PERFECT? Words Mark Dixon Photography Alex Penfold

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“IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DRIVING,” says Steve Drummond. “Cars are meant to be used, not to sit in a museum. And if you can improve on the driving experience, then why wouldn’t you?”

We’re talking about the pros and cons of converting classic vehicles to electric propulsion, because the rather special DeLorean DMC-12 shown in the pictures here is powered by a 160kW electric motor rather than its original 2.85-litre petrol V6. Or, indeed, the nuclear reactor that was featured in those movies.

Now, since Steve is the founder and chief executive of Electrogenic, an EV powertrain specialist based in Kidlington, just outside Oxford, you’d naturally expect him to argue that a classic converted to run on electricity will be a ‘better’ drive. What’s less anticipated is that he can also see the reason not to convert a classic.

“For some people, part of the experience is the sound, the smell, the vibration and all of those things,” he agrees. “And it’s true that for some cars, that’s more important.

To me, a Ford GT40, for example, is all about having a noisy, throbbing engine sitting just behind you and creating pure sensory overload. But some cars always had a rubbish engine from the start.”

While it would be an exaggeration to apply that term to the PRV ‘Douvrin’ V6 specified back in the day for the DMC-12, it’s fair to say that the powerplant was never a highlight of the car. Developed in the 1970s as a joint venture between Peugeot, Renault and Volvo – hence ‘PRV’ – it was a perfectly acceptable design, and found useful homes in a wide range of sensible saloons. But there’s the rub. The DeLorean was intended to be a much sexier car, one with a target audience of – to use John DeLorean’s own flamboyant phrase – “the horny bachelor who’s made it”.

The vast majority of the 9000 or so DMC-12s built were sold in the US, where their engines were strangled by powersapping emissions gear; output was a mere 130bhp compared with the 152bhp offered in the few European-market DeLoreans.

It simply was not enough to make the car 42

a true Porsche 911 or Ferrari rival.

Electrogenic’s conversion turns that situation on its head. The drop-in electric powertrain – which involves no structural changes at all – cuts the original’s 0-60mph time from 10.5 seconds to under 5.0. Top speed, meanwhile, remains about the same, at an estimated 120mph. Geareddown maximum torque at the rear wheels is 3200Nm, or 2360lb ft in old money, and there’s a claimed real-world range of 150plus miles before you need to recharge; that’ll take an hour on a CCS rapid charger.

We’ve become accustomed to the wild performance of even quite mundane EVs in recent years. But, as anyone who loves driving knows, sheer speed is only one element of what makes a car enjoyable to drive – and, as far as classics are concerned, it often comes quite a long way down the list of desirable attributes. If you take the engine’s character out of the equation, how much are you left with?

The DeLorean is a unique case, of course, because it’s long had to shoulder the burden of being deeply associated with the Back to the Future trilogy of movies.

Great in terms of boosting its desirability, but a little embarrassing when talking about 0-60mph times – even though everyone tends to forget that Doc Brown’s DeLorean was no faster than any other until it breached 88mph (a figure chosen, incidentally, simply because the prop designers thought it was the coolestlooking figure to display on a digital dash.)

So, maybe for this reason alone, you could view an electric DeLorean as being the ‘acceptable’ face of EV conversions.

As it turns out, however, the Electrogenic DeLorean genuinely is good to drive.

Why? Because Electrogenic has kept things simple. It prides itself on the fact that its EV powertrains are ‘plug and play’ – or, more accurately, ‘drop in, plug in and play’ – and, while it carries out conversions, it’s not in the business of fully restoring cars, heavily modifying and then upselling them for outrageous amounts of money.

So it’s very heartening to learn that the Electrogenic DeLorean weighs just 40kg HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

‘This DeLorean weighs just 40kg more than a standard car.

Hallelujah!’

THIS SPREAD It may look standard, but this electric DeLorean reaches 60mph from rest in under 5.0sec; new powertrain simply drops into the space previously occupied by the old V6 motor.

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more than a standard car. Hallelujah!

And, aided by careful positioning of the batteries front and rear, the distribution of that weight is better than it was in the rear-engined original, too.

During a damp morning drive on Bicester Motion’s test track, the electric DeLorean proves huge fun to hustle. Running original-spec Goodyear Eagle tyres and standard suspension settings, it feels very safe and chuckable, the unassisted steering having just the right amount of heft, with initial understeer being readily transformed into oversteer if you goose the throttle. It’s very quiet all the while, without any of the hum or whine you find in some EVs, but – unlike, say, in a GT40 – this lack of aural involvement doesn’t seem to matter when you’re driving a car that turns ‘back to the future’ into a physical reality.

It’s also pleasingly unmodified inside.

There’s a battery state-of-charge indicator to the right of the revcounter – which is now repurposed to indicate whether electricity is flowing to or from the batteries – and a panel on the centre console for two knobs that select, respectively, Forwards, Neutral or Reverse, and the three Drive modes on offer. But that’s about it, and you still get the occasional authentic creak 44

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E L E C T R O G E N I C D E L O R E A N D M C -1 2

THIS SPREAD Relatively little has been changed inside, other than the addition of a battery gauge (top right) and, at the customer’s request, a flux capacitor…

from the original 43-year-old plastic trim.

One of the areas where EVs have arguably made driving more engaging is in the use of regenerative braking, whereby taking your foot off the accelerator turns the motor into a generator, feeding power back into the batteries and at the same time slowing the car. Judge it right, and you can avoid having to touch the mechanical brakes most of the time, which is both hugely satisfying and an excellent way to improve your hazard-anticipation skills.

In this DeLorean, regenerative braking is available in all three Drive modes: Eco, Normal and Sport. It’s stronger in Normal than in Eco, and it cuts out above 30mph in Sport to avoid potentially unsettling the car in a high-speed manoeuvre. Even in Eco, there’s more than enough performance for everyday driving, but Normal offers the best combination of stonking acceleration and electric retardation. As for Sport… well, you’re gonna need a bigger test track.

The lasting impression left by the Electrogenic DeLorean is that less is more: that is, less disrupting the basic car has resulted in more driver pleasure. This model is a one-off customer commission, but Electrogenic has so far supplied around 70 powertrain packages for vehicles ranging HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

from Land Rovers through E-types and 911s to the 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II that it converted for Marvel movie star Jason Momoa – again, the last of these completely unmolested other than for a straight swap of the powertrain.

The great advantage of a drop-in conversion is that, in theory at least, for certain classics it could be done in a home garage by a competent amateur mechanic (unlike the Citroën DSs that Electrogenic has converted, where inboard front disc brakes and the high-pressure hydraulics caused a lot of packaging problems).

Keeping things simple would also reduce costs, a vital consideration with relatively low-value cars such as the classic Mini – the one-off DeLorean added up to about £100,000 of work, plus the donor car.

It’s something the firm has been pondering for some time, says Steve Drummond, and in fact Electrogenic will be releasing just such a Mini package in the near future, supplied on a subframe that simply bolts in place of the original. Estimated cost is £20,000-25,000; not too bad when you consider the cost of even a ‘cheap’ new EV. An electric classic that ordinary people can afford? Now that is a futuristic vision.

Visit www.electrogenic.co.uk for more info.

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CL ASSIC TE AM LOTUS

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ed d i ov of r p g ion en n lo rat op s a sto it’s o h o e us e r ow y, t t Lo r th . N iner m fo ars ch a e nd c a T ic rou cing d m s as ile g c ra roa l C rt ri ic fe isto ass h cl to

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CL ASSIC TE AM LOTUS

S

THIS SPREAD Classic Team Lotus is a treasure trove of knowledge, skill, technical expertise and historic artefacts – and it now caters for road as well as race machinery.

STEP THROUGH THE DOORWAY OF CLASSIC TEAM LOTUS and, if you can resist the temptations of the shop, you’re greeted by a wall of motor-racing memorabilia. Photographs of Formula 1 greats, their race suits and helmets and, of course, the trophies they won behind the wheel of Lotus cars.

A huge filing cabinet contains the original blueprints for success, while in the workshop and upstairs in the gallery are the cars themselves, painted in those unforgettable hues of red, gold, black and yellow. The Chapman family owns many of them, with others being the property of collectors and privateer Historic racers.

Typically, Classic Team Lotus looks after around 50 race cars at any one time, maintained by a 24-strong team.

On Saturdays, members of the public can book a tour of the facility in Hethel, Norfolk, but during the week this is the domain of the fabricators and mechanics – and they certainly have their hands full.

“We can actually make you a 1970s Formula 1 car,” explains heritage manager William Taylor, who has worked with CTL for over 20 years. “We have all the drawings, we have the tech and we have people working for us who originally worked on the cars.”

Until recently, however, if you owned a classic Lotus road car, a 48

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‘We have the drawings, the tech and people working for us who originally worked on the cars’

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‘We are the experts.

We have the capability, the history, the support and the knowledge’

return to Hethel for restoration or service would have been out of the question. But now, in among a JPS-liveried Type 72, a Camelyellow 99T and a bare-alloy Formula 2 car, sit a pair of Europas, while in the paint shop an Elan is once again gleaming red.

“We are not short of business,” continues Taylor. “But looking forward, you think, well, you need to keep expanding.

And road cars are next. We are the experts. We have the capability, and people are asking us. We have the history, we have the support and we have the knowledge.”

Recently Classic Team Lotus built on that knowledge and support by acquiring a vast number of parts – and even some staff – from well known Midlands Lotus specialist Paul Matty Sportscars, following founder Paul’s retirement.

“I think there were 16,000 different types of parts,” recalls Classic Team Lotus business manager Rupert Manwaring, who previously spent 25 years in Formula 1, including two years as team manager of Team Lotus. “We only had seven days to move them, so we were doing an artic a day for a week, and we got it all here. But with the best will in the world, it got a bit mixed up and it took us, I think, over a year to actually get it all sorted, on a computer system and in a web shop. That is still ongoing, but nevertheless it really got us started.”

At the moment there’s a good stock of spares for early Elans and Europas, but Manwaring reckons more and more components will have to be remanufactured: “I mean, we are going to have to, because new old stock has really dried up, except for the odd pocket. Recently, for example, we had quite a large batch of Lotus Europa Twin Cam wheels remanufactured. Paul Matty had the original tooling, and we’ve gone back to the original supplier. It took about a year for them to come, but we’ve just got a good supply of those that will probably keep us going for ten years.”

For one particular Esprit that’s being restored in time for the model’s 50th anniversary in 2025, Classic Team Lotus has even

THIS SPREAD CTL recently acquired a vast number of parts, and some staff, from respected Lotus specialist Paul Matty Sportscars, further enhancing the level of support it can offer.

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CL ASSIC TE AM LOTUS

THIS SPREAD The restoration side of the CTL business is continuing to grow as Lotus road-car values begin to creep up.

commissioned all-new bodywork to be made up from scratch.

As Lotus values begin to creep up, the restoration side of the business is likely to grow, says Taylor: “I think five or ten years ago, if you restored a 1960s or ’70s Lotus, you were just losing your money. You weren’t wasting it, but you were losing cash. I think now we’re seeing values increasing enough for it to be realistic.”

He continues: “A guy just had an Elan Plus 2 done, and he spent a lot on it, and it’s probably worth what he spent on it. Yeah, he’s not going to make money, but at least he’s not going to lose it – and I think that’s the way we are looking at it.”

The owners of the two early Europas, which are currently being transformed from racing specification back to road use, will certainly be hoping that’s the case, because both examples are undergoing a huge amount of work. One is the third Europe Type 46 built, originally used as a promotional car before its adventures on the track. The other is a Type 47 race machine whose owner in the Philippines plans to use it as a daily driver, so it’s getting electronic ignition and even air-conditioning as part of the build.

Manwaring says big projects such as these will probably take up to 12 months each, and there’s capacity for doing two or three such ambitious builds each year. For 2025, though, the goal is 52

‘I’d hope to see at least 60 or 70 cars coming through the doors every year’ to open the doors for more routine servicing of older Lotus models.

“I would hope to see at least 60 or 70 cars coming through the doors of Classic Team Lotus every year, whether it’s for a routine service or for something a bit more major,” he explains.

Although full-blown restorations won’t come cheap, Manwaring insists that customers won’t be paying a premium for bringing their cars to CTL. “We have to be competitive,” he says. “I mean, if somebody wants a really original car, we’re very well placed to do that for them. But at the same time, we’ve got a local chap from Norwich with an immaculate Elan Sprint, and we just do his routine servicing. I don’t think we charge any more than anyone else.

“Classic Team Lotus has been the mecca for classic racing cars.

We really want to make it the mecca for classic road cars as well. I think there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do that.”

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F E AT U R E R E P E AT E R

Words Karl Ludvigsen Photography Porsche

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From a simple exercise for a Group B sports-racer, Porsche’s unstoppable engineers fashioned the firm’s first great supercar. Their only failure? Not charging enough for this astounding machine

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PORSCHE 959

PORSCHE’S FIRST ULTRA-GREAT SUPERCAR, ITS TYPE 959, was a consummate road car, master of any and all conditions up to its peak 220mph. Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1985, it was priced at a then-stunning DM420,000 – equivalent to $140,000 or £100,000. This was nearly three times the price that had been the aim at the project’s outset. Even worse, the cost of each 959 to the firm was DM1,300,000 or $720,000. Considering that 337 cars were made, the total cost would have been DM368 million or $204m over the life of the project. Of this, only about one quarter could have been recouped by the sale of cars.

Expert Michael Cotton wrote: “The Porsche 959 is an enormously competent car, which represents great investment in terms of both engineering expertise and customer investment. Were all this to be done for merely 250 customers, it would unquestionably have been a folly of the grandest proportions.” In the end the 959 was just that – a folly, a fantastic coup de foudre on the part of the sober Swabians, albeit benefiting more than 300 customers who enjoyed an automobile that is still astounding some 40 years later.

It began in 1982 as a project to produce a sports car that could compete under the new Group B rules. It specified two-seater closed cars built in quantities of at least 200 in 12 months. Here was an awkward number. It was neither high enough to yield to volume production efficiencies, nor low enough to allow the cars to be hand-built by a competition department. But the Sports Department at Weissach aimed at a mid-engined car for road racing, not rallying as did other companies. The firm wanted a machine for customers it knew well, based on the 914.

Engineering chief Helmuth Bott thought otherwise, however. “We cannot learn anything,” he said. “We already do so many mid-engined cars. I was fighting against them.” In 1983 he told his colleagues: “We can’t escape this four-by-four era. We have to be involved.” Fourwheel drive was indeed a big deal at the time, with Audi’s bold launch of its Quattro, aimed mainly at rallying. Pressure grew to create a futuristic new Porsche, based on the 911, which would act as an advance guard for new features to be used in production models.

Bott set out the ground rules for this mega-Porsche as he saw them. His preferred power unit was a turbocharged 2.8-litre flatsix, ideally with water-cooled cylinder heads using the latest Porsche thinking on four-valve chambers as had been incorporated in the 944 and 928. With the FIA’s multiplication factor of 1.4 this would be rated as a 4.0-litre engine, which in Group B would marry with a mandated minimum weight of 1100kg or 2426lb. Initially a single-row roller chain drove the camshafts, but failures from resonances mandated a change to double-row chains, adding precious time to the programme.

With twin turbochargers, Bott foresaw an output of 400-450bhp in the road version and 450-550bhp for racing. He hoped that this could be transmitted through a PDK transmission to a four-wheeldrive system that could be optimised to suit each racing situation.

The drivetrain was to be encapsulated in a fore-and-aft tube – like the 928’s – and be easily installed from beneath the chassis platform. Turbo specialist Heinz Dorsch suggested that they be mounted in series rather than parallel, to provide an innovative Porsche-specific two-stage boosting solution.

Dorsch succeeded in his advocacy, having a unique system in which only one turbo was active at low speeds and powers, with 56

OPPOSITE “To call it perfect is the mildest of overstatements,” said Car and Driver of the astounding Porsche 959.

both coming into play when full output was demanded. This was dubbed PRA for Porsche-Registeraufladung – the analogy being with ‘register’ or progressive carburettors that open more venturi throats when the driver presses the throttle down.

Flanking the rear of the engine, the turbochargers were KKK’s new Type K26 water-cooled units developed for the 944 Turbo.

The phrase ‘plumber’s nightmare’ came to mind when contemplating the pipework under the 959’s rear deck. Air entered the system through a big cleaner athwart the compartment above the engine, then was ducted back along the sides of the bay to the inlets of the two turbos. The output from each blower was piped up to the top of an air/air intercooler placed vertically behind its rear wheel.

Pressurised and intercooled air was piped up to the engine’s inlet manifold. This had an H-shaped central plenum from which ram pipes extended down to the six cylinders. Fuel was delivered through two electronic injectors for each cylinder, placed one above the other in a short pipe just above the cylinder head. A Bosch Motronic system metered the fuel and controlled the ignition timing.

Overlaid on this basic system were the subtleties of the PRA. It incorporated a control valve at the exit of the right-hand turbo that plugged its exhaust outlet at low revs. In that mode, all the gases from the engine’s right bank flowed through a balancing pipe to drive the left-hand blower, supplementing the gases from the left bank. This assured the quickest-possible response from the lefthand blower. Any overflow of its air pressure into the right-hand inlet pipe was blocked by a spring-loaded non-return valve.

Although peak output was unaffected by the PRA, substantial benefits were gained at speeds up to 4000rpm. The torque curve was hugely elevated at lower speeds by the PRA. At 3000rpm, for example, it was lifted from 190lb ft to 300lb ft, a 58 percent improvement. Maximum torque of 370lb ft was reached at 5500rpm, and peak power of 450bhp attained at 6500rpm. The output objective for the 959 in its road version had been achieved – and handsomely.

The dimensions of the 959/50 engine were 95 x 65mm for 2849cc. Its mechanical compression ratio was 8.3:1, but Porsche pointed out that with the boost this was equivalent to 13.5:1 above 5500rpm. Nevertheless the engine was happy with 95-octane unleaded gasoline. To suit the complex technology of its 959, Porsche developed a special electronic diagnostic device that had both ‘reading’ and ‘writing’ modes of operation, which helped the technician apply a system-checking routine and make certain adjustments. He could tweak the ignition timing, for example, but only retard it, not advance it.

The development team concluded early on that time constraints would rule out the use of the PDK transmission, so a six-speed manual ’box was specified instead. Another early sacrifice was the idea of maintaining the front luggage volume, because the demands of competition called for a more space-intrusive parallel-wishbone

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‘Porsche’s first ultra-great supercar, its Type 959, was a consummate road car, master of any and all conditions up to its peak 220mph’

front suspension. It remained to define the characteristics of the four-wheel-drive system, which had to announce to a waiting world that with ‘Porsche-typical innovation’ Weissach had scored again with a unique set-up that outperformed all rivals.

Testing by Walter Näher and veteran Porsche driver Herbert Linge at Continental’s proving ground included differentials controlled both by multiple-disc clutches and by Ferguson-patent viscous clutches. Various driver-controlled options were also explored. One idea was to disengage the front anti-roll bar and/or the front-wheel drive on tight turns. Another was to measure lateral acceleration in corners and automatically declutch the drive to the front at high g loadings. These experienced testers were trying to overcome the ‘general all-wheel-drive problem’, which was that a driver who had exceeded the cornering limit had few control options at his disposal, unlike the rear-drive car with its non-powered and steerable front wheels.

A marriage of simplicity with sophistication described the 959’s four-wheel-drive system. The simplicity was in the drive system itself. From the transaxle at the rear, the drive went forward through a small-diameter shaft such as that in the 924, to the front-mounted differential that turned the forward wheels. At the input to the differential’s pinion gear was a wet HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

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PORSCHE 959

multiple-disc clutch called the Porsche Control Clutch, or PSK. All the drive to the front wheels passed through the PSK, which was capable of transmitting up to 185lb ft (250Nm) of torque. The PSK’s operating range varied from complete lock-up, for example allowing the front wheels to pull if the rears were on ice, to the transmittal of only 20 percent of the torque to the front wheels.

Changes could be made at intervals of 50 to 100 milliseconds.

Meanwhile, work went ahead on other aspects of the 959-to-be.

The core of the car, its steel structure, was derived from that of the 911, from which the interior and cowl structure were carried over.

Unlike the 911, however, all the exterior panels were either aluminium or composite. The steel roof was replaced by plastic. Robust longitudinal frame members extended forward to the front bumper mounts to ensure crash-test success. The doors and front bootlid were made of a special aluminium alloy containing 0.4 percent magnesium and 1.2 percent silicon. Given a yellow-chromated finish, these weighed 57 percent less than similar steel parts.

All the other body panels were formed of resins reinforced by Kevlar, DuPont’s trade name for aramid fibres. With a vacuumforming technique more commonly used for aircraft, the panels were moulded against plastic tools that had been given a flamesprayed metallic surface. Skin panels were composed of six layers of glass and Kevlar fibres in an epoxy resin. After being trimmed by

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‘Development of suitable tyres for the 959 was a crucial exercise for a car that could weigh nearly two tonnes fully laden and exceed 200mph’

a water jet, the panels were bonded to the steel frame. Panels were wrapped around the frame so that the steel was fully enclosed.

The basic concept of the suspension was established at an early stage. The goal was the most rigid guidance of the wheels possible consistent with comfort, together with control of camber angles that would always allow the tyres to perform well with balanced wear and without overheating. Both front and rear hubs rotated in sphericalroller bearings in cast-aluminium hub carriers. The rear hubs were very large in diameter, so that the outboard universal joints could be inside them to allow the half-shafts to be as long as possible.

Front suspension was by upper and lower wishbones. The lower wishbone of cast aluminium braced its front leg well forward, leaving room behind its rear leg for the low-placed rack-and-pinion steering gear. Fabricated of steel, the upper wishbone sloped gently downward toward its pivot axis, which in turn sloped slightly down toward the rear of the chassis to give a mild anti-dive effect. The forwardmost damper unit was replaced by a hydraulic level-control ram.

A similar pairing of a coaxial coil/damper with a heightlevelling ram was fitted to each side at the rear, where these acted on the lower wishbones. Bilstein was Porsche’s partner for the development of these rams and dampers with their aluminium bodies. A large-diameter steel-tube crossmember – nicknamed the ‘ox horns’ after its appearance – curved under the gearbox and then high at each side, to provide mounting points for the rear legs of both upper and lower tubular wishbones.

Development of suitable tyres for the 959 was a crucial exercise for a car that could weigh nearly two tonnes fully laden and exceed 200mph. Test-stand conditions set by engineer Hans-Georg Persch required rubber that had already covered 6000 miles to survive for 20 minutes’ running at that speed. Porsche’s racing partner, Dunlop, stepped up to the job. It brought to the party its patented Denloc tyre/rim configuration. This matched a specially shaped bead to the rim in such a way that a deflating tyre would stay attached to the wheel. Also used on the 956, this was a textbook example of racing improving the breed.

The 959 spurred Porsche’s effort to develop a family of brake calipers that it could deploy among its various product ranges.

The largest of these was the A2 caliper, used for the front wheels of the 928. The 959 used the A1 caliper, identical except for reduced brake-pad area, for its front wheels. The basic caliper A of this family had the same pad area but was designed for a smaller-diameter disc; it was used for the 959’s rear wheels. By road-car standards these brakes were capable of impressive deceleration. From 185mph they could haul the 959 to a standstill at a rate of 1.27 times gravity. Complementing them was a microcomputer-controlled anti-lock system.

A newcomer to the Design Studio, Steve Murkett, joined Dick Söderberg in the refinement of the 959 design for production. Air inlets atop the back wheels were new in the rear-wing leading

OPPOSITE Exhausts at the rear corners release warm air from the intercooler entering through ‘nostrils’.

surfaces. The ‘breadbasket-handle’ spoiler survived, albeit as part of a wide bootlid that required cuts in the rear flanks. Grilled air exits appeared, those at the back releasing intercooler air. Front grilles, just ahead of the wheels, released warm air not only from the adjacent oil radiators, but also from the main central radiator into a region where low pressure prevailed.

Finally orders for the 959 were filtered and accepted from the 1600 inquiries received. Each confirmation required a DM50,000 down payment. Delivery would be in August 1986 at the earliest.

Included were all modern conveniences, with electric adjustment for leather seats plus fully automatic heating and cooling.

After the Frankfurt Motor Show, select members of the press were invited to Weissach for their first experience of 959 motoring.

They sat next to Günter Steckkönig for ten laps of the test track, which Michael Cotton said left “the passenger weak-kneed and full of wonderment at the racing-car capabilities of the machine”.

He added that it “goes like the scary octopus at a funfair”.

At home, the 959’s acceptance was enthusiastic. By March 1986, Ludwigsburg booked 250 orders for the 959 complete with DM50,000 ($22,730) down payments.

In still-cool March 1986, the first press drives of the 959 were organised at the new Nürburgring track, a 2.83-mile road course.

Three cars were available, and each press man was allocated half an hour with his. Later he rode shotgun for some demonstration laps by Steckkönig in a fourth 959, which had a PSK with a map that suited his driving style. Lucky passengers got a ride around the old 14-mile circuit through the Eifel hills.

Porsche boasted that its register-turbocharging would make the engine feel like an unblown 8.0-litre, but testers were quick to discount this. “To be sure the high-performance power unit copes with low revs with astonishing mastery,” reported Auto Motor und Sport, “but acceleration below 4000rpm is not at all breathtaking.” Above that, wrote John Miles in Autocar: “The push in the back really starts – a massive slug of torque. The transition to the second turbo is a bit hesitant, but as it comes in there is this simply enormous shove in the back as the rev counter gathers pace toward 7500rpm. You are always changing up! There is no time to relax. Such is the performance [that] you need to plan and think as in a powerful race car.”

Said Autocar’s Mel Nichols: “The 959 demonstrated that Porsche has achieved the fantastic goal it set: the creation of a car that nudges the performance realms of today’s racing cars, yet which any man or woman with average experience can master within a short learning period.”

“We hesitate to call any car perfect,” wrote Car and Driver. “In price, in availability, in performance, the 959 defies comparison with lesser machinery. The ultimate automobile, it is to an ordinary car as the F-15 is to a hang glider. The Porsche 959 can accomplish almost any automotive mission so well that to call it perfect is the mildest of overstatements.” For Weissach, job done.

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CARCHITECTURE

T H E

F I N E

A R T

O F

CARCHITECTURE

Perfectly blending the automobile and architecture, these dream storage solutions prove that home is where the car is Words Nik Berg

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CARCHITECTURE

“A CAR IS NOT A HORSE, AND IT doesn’t need a barn.” Those are the words of American architectural genius Frank Lloyd Wright. A passionate petrolhead, Wright was one of the first designers to truly consider how the automobile would be incorporated in our homes.

As far back as 1910, his Robie House in Illinois featured a three-car garage complete with an inspection pit and washing area built into the Prairie-style building. Ever the innovator, Wright believed that there was a better solution, however.

“Cars are built well enough now so that they do not require elaborate shelter,” he noted. With that in mind, he developed what he called the ‘carport’ – a more minimalist shelter, with the most famous example being at the extraordinary Fallingwater in Pennsylvania. The house, constructed on top of a waterfall, was named ‘the best alltime work of architecture in America’ by the American Institute of Architects, and had space for four vehicles in a separate carport in its stunning forest setting.

Wright believed that garages only inspired clutter, and that the more open design of a carport would present the art of the automobile more favourably alongside his own work. Indeed, in his autobiography he said that his favourite 1929 Cord L-29 “looked becoming to my houses”.

So, what do we call this confluence of automobile and architecture? Ask Thijs Demeulemeester, Thomas De Bruyne and Bert Voet, and the answer is ‘Carchitecture’.

The trio have co-authored two books on the subject: Carchitecture: Houses with Horsepower, published in 2020, and the newly released Carchitecture USA. The writers travelled the globe seeking out prime examples of homes that are enhanced by the addition of an automobile.

Alongside page after page of stunning photography, essays discuss topics such as ‘Why Le Corbusier might better have been Le Carbusier’, ‘Why Saab was the architect’s car par excellence’, ‘How the car became Frank Lloyd Wright’s ultimate muse’, ‘How to accessorise a house with a car’, and even ‘How EVs are reshaping our buildings’.

“The design of cars and buildings can 62

THIS PAGE Freestanding Supercar Capsules enhance their setting and can be built to bespoke specification.

Stylish book explores the art of Carchitecture.

shape our cities and impact our daily lives,” explains architect Jean Nouvel in Carchitecture USA. “They have the power to transform the way we navigate and experience our environment.”

Over in Italy, meanwhile, ASZarchitetti Group has embraced that idea with its Supercar Capsule “to really bring your supercar into your daily life”.

“Whether it’s sport, luxury or vintage, your car is a masterpiece of technology and design: too beautiful to be parked undercover in a dusty garage… not to be enjoyed only in motion, too. We customise a suitable space for your supercar, the way you can feel it belongs in your house,” the company’s literature states.

In practice the Supercar Capsules resemble a full-size version of the kind of display boxes that scale models so often come in. They are freestanding structures that can be installed inside or out, and they come with climate control and can be specified with audio systems, bars,

‘Design of cars and buildings can shape our cities and impact our daily lives’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

IMAGES: PORSCHE MEDIA SITE, ALAMY & SUPERCAR CAPSULE

humidors and countless other options.

Others have gone to even greater heights in their exploration of Carchitecture – and that includes auto makers themselves. In Florida alone there are sky-scraping condos designed by Bentley, Mercedes-Benz and Aston Martin, while in Dubai you’ll find a towering apartment building by Bugatti.

However, it is Porsche that’s gone furthest in the way it has combined high-rise living with enthusiasm for the automobile.

For its first building, the Porsche Design Tower in Miami, the German sports car manufacturer engineered a unique vehicle elevator system that sends residents and their cars soaring into the sky. Apartment dwellers simply drive into the lift and it will deliver them to their door, no matter which of the 60 floors they live on. “Simply put, there is no other building in the world with the same level of groundbreaking ingenuity and superlative quality as Porsche Design Tower Miami,” boasts developer Gil Dezer.

In Bangkok, a second Porsche Design Tower features several obvious architectural links to Porsche cars, including an X-Frame exposed external structure inspired by the Mission R concept car, while the 21-storey tower is topped by an illuminated ‘crown’ that mimics the rear-light signature of Porsche road cars. Parts of the building can even transform at the touch of a switch, not unlike the roof of a 911 Targa.

“Our vision is to create a living space where one’s passion thrives,” says Stefan Buescher, chairman of the executive board of Porsche Lifestyle Group. “We aspire for passion in every endeavour, ensuring that our projects transcend living spaces to become expressions of individuality.”

Most significant, however, is a spiral access ramp that takes residents to the heart of the building and its so-called Passion Spaces, where their car collections can be housed. This curving ramp is a design motif that Frank Lloyd Wright himself developed – most notably in the Guggenheim Museum in New York.

“A building is not just a place to be, but a way to be,” Wright once remarked.

If only he were able to see just how far Carchitecture has come.

THIS PAGE Frank Lloyd Wright perfected the carport at Fallingwater; the Porsche Design Towers in Miami and Bangkok continue in the same spirit here in the 21st century.

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M G AT M O N T L H É R Y F E AT U R E R E P E AT E R

BACK TO MONTLHÉRY

Driving an historic MG at the Vintage Revival Montlhéry on the centenary of both the British marque and the French circuit

Words John Mayhead

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M G AT M O N T L H É R Y

TO JA PALMES MUST GO THE CREDIT for taking the first practical steps towards converting an MG Midget with which to attack International Class Records. He had obtained a special cylinder block with small bores and pistons, which would bring the engine size within the 750cc class, and had visions of achieving the magic figure of 100mph.

In this project, he sought the assistance of a man with whom he had shared rooms at Cambridge, Capt GET Eyston, who already at that time held several records and had a great deal of experience in this field. During this time, the MG designers had not been idle, and there was already running on the roads of Berkshire the prototype of the Racing Midget for the 1931 season, known as EX120.

It was obvious this should be chosen as the basis of the record-breaker...

It seemed a frightful gamble to take the completely new car straight to Montlhéry, away from all Works facilities [but] the watchers on this great occasion would tell you the car sang.

After two laps or so of warming up, Eyston turned everything full on... saw a steady 7000rpm and knew that, barring accidents, the record was his. The speeds were five kilometres, 103.13mph; five miles, 102.76; ten kilometres, 102.43; and ten miles, 101.87. The party returned, very happy and satisfied, to England.

John Thornley, Maintaining the Breed, 1950.

On the frigid concrete banking of the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry in the late winter of 1931, Jimmy Palmes and the MG Works engineers gave George Eyston the tools he needed to cross the 100mph barrier for the first time in a car powered by a 750cc engine, snubbing their nose at arch-rival Austin, and creating a racing and recordbreaking ethos that defined MG for at least the next half-century.

For MG, Abingdon will always remain home, but Montlhéry was where the fires of the marque’s racing passion were lit. The swarm of C-type Midgets dominating the twisting Ulster lanes of the RAC Tourist Trophy; the K3s driven by superstars Lurani,

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BELOW Period touches entirely in keeping with the evocative motor sport history of this very special racing machine.

‘Driving this special car in its spiritual home was a pinchyourself moment’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

Nuvolari, Seaman and Hamilton; Goldie Gardner in EX135 and Stirling Moss in EX181; the MGAs competing everywhere from Monte Carlo to Sebring; the MGBs at Le Mans... In almost every competition in every part of the world, that octagonal badge, usually fitted to the smallest car in the field, was the one to beat.

The fires were literally ignited, too: in the late summer of 1931, Eyston returned with EX120 to Montlhéry to try to capture longer records. Having lapped for just over an hour, his engine noise suddenly died, replaced by a cloud of smoke that rose up the banking. His mechanics, Reg Jackson and Nobby Marney, rushed to the scene, finding EX120 burning. Eyston survived, but that first record-breaking car did not, given like an offering to the gods of motoring.

EX120 was more than just the predecessor of MG’s racing machines. Its DNA could be found in the pre-war Magnas, Midgets and Magnettes, then the TC that helped rejuvenate the British car industry with US exports in the late 1940s. The first model it influenced, however, is one of the rarest, and it was named after its place of birth: a mere 44 C-type Montlhéry Midgets were made, of which 26 are believed to still exist.

Built quickly in 1931 and ’32 to capitalise on public interest in Eyston’s exploits, it was a close copy of its record-breaking parent, mating a 746cc OHC inline-four and four-speed ENV ’box with a tiny, 6ft 9in-wheelbase two-seater body, the track being just 3ft 6in. With its open cockpit, duplicate coils and fuel pumps, scuttlemounted oil reservoir and Andre Hartford dampers, the C-type Montlhéry Midget may have been sold as a road machine, but it was clearly a racing car. Factory options such as bigger SU carburettors and a nosemounted Powerplus supercharger, as well as larger brake drums that gave more stopping power than the 8in cable-operated standard set-up, all reinforced this point.

Jimmy Palmes and George Eyston wanted one of these new cars for themselves. Away

from record-breaking, they were directors of MG dealer and coachbuilder Jarvis & Sons of Wimbledon, and they coveted a bare chassis on which to build their own design. Such an item wasn’t available on the option sheet – but nevertheless, as PM Walters, a later director of Jarvis, explained, a rolling chassis was “more or less supplied especially for Mr Palmes, as he was largely instrumental in developing this with Captain Eyston when they started the records with the 750cc engine”.

So, on July 28, 1931, the bare C-type Midget C0278 was duly delivered to their depot in Victoria Crescent SW10, and road registered shortly afterwards as PL9386.

As this model was to be Jarvis & Sons’ demonstrator, the firm was given a discount.

A body was constructed, an aluminium 2+2 with a special exhaust, headlamps,

ABOVE Writer John Mayhead relished this opportunity-of-a-lifetime drive in the MG C-type Midget at the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry.

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slab petrol tank and what was described as “many extras”. Palmes used the car for a few months, developing it as he went. Later it was sold on to a vicar, who drove it to church every day for nearly two decades, then it was briefly owned by art critic Brian Sewell before it came off the road, at which point the original body was scrapped.

In 2016 the car was rebuilt with a factory body from another C-type – this time the traditional pointed-tail racing two-seater, but retaining the same gearbox, scuttle, chassis and virtually all the engine parts that emerged from the factory nearly a century earlier. Painted in powder blue, the car went back where it belonged, the track, and was raced hard by its owner at Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Zandvoort and others.

Then, in late 2023, I was offered the opportunity to drive this very special car at 67

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‘This amazing little MG, nearly a century old, overwhelmed my senses’ the dented and the rare, the sort of ephemera that seems to automatically attract the money in my bank account like some sort of powerful currency magnet.

One group of six travelled from England in a Ford Model A, three of them crammed into the dickey seat, and Duncan Pittaway made it all the way from Bristol in the incredible Beast of Turin. There are no paid drivers and billionaires flying in by helicopter here, just an extraordinary group of people surrounded by the machines they love.

As I pulled my trailer-mounted car up to the allotted spot next to three other C-type Midgets, I instantly felt as if I’d cheated, because two of the cars had been driven from the UK. Everyone was lovely, however.

It was a theme that continued throughout the weekend, creating an inclusive and intimate festival atmosphere. My 21-yearold son, my ‘riding mechanic’, felt it, too.

Having dropped the car off on the Friday afternoon, we returned to our hotel and planned to arrive in good time for our first, 9:40am track session. In the event the traffic HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

had other ideas, and we rushed in, flustered, at just gone 9:00am. Without time to think, we donned race suits and helmets, and I fired up the Midget. It needs a little time to warm up, so I pulled it around to the track entry and sat bubbling the throttle as I waited to be called forward. Finally, as we saw the last of the preceding group disappear into the infield, we were given the instruction to head out onto the track.

This was when the emotion hit me, and – I’ll be honest – my eyes may have been a little misty, probably from the fumes, you understand. Driving this very special car in its spiritual home, surrounded by three of its kind and 20 other extraordinary racing cars, was a pinch-yourself moment, and as we took the first lap behind a pace-setting safety car, it felt unreal. Travelling clockwise, we drove what’s called the First Circuit, a 3.3km (2.1-mile) track that uses half of the original banked oval. But first there’s the tight hairpin of Virage des Deux-Pointes, a relatively easy left-hander, the Virage de la Ferme, then a chicane to the hardest turn

IMAGES: JANE HARTLEY, JOHN MAYHEAD & PETER STEVENS

Montlhéry, in May ’24. It would mark 100 years since that octagon MG badge was first registered as a trademark, as well as the Montlhéry Autodrome’s centenary. I jumped at the chance, especially when I found out that my category included some of the most famous cars of the era, and that I’d be sharing the track with a 1931 Aston Martin International, a handful of Salmson GS8s and an almost obscenely large collection of 1920s racing Bugattis.

I’m very fortunate to be invited to attend some of the world’s most wonderful historic motoring events, and although I remain passionate about all things automotive, I sometimes I fear I’ve been over-exposed to beautiful machinery. It’s as if decades of being in close proximity to the superstars of the car world have dulled my sense of excitement, and removed the shiver of adrenaline I remember feeling the first time I saw an Alfa Romeo TZ2 in the flesh, watched headlights flash past Maison Blanche on a misty June dawn at Le Mans, or felt the engines fire up around me in the Goodwood Revival paddock.

But as I inched through the tiny tunnel under the Autodrome de Linas-Montlhéry’s vast concrete banking, emerging into a sunsoaked alternate universe of the seventh edition of the Vintage Revival Montlhéry (VRM), that almost childish sense of awe returned. Despite the new blocks of flats that seem to sprout up around the track every week, the modern Tour de Contrôle building and the huge, Silverstone-esque catch fences, Montlhéry still feels very, very special. Those other great banked circuits at Brooklands and Monza are impressive, but they seem inert, ghostly reminders of the deadly contests that once took place.

Montlhéry still feels alive, as if it was only weeks ago that Eyston was breaking the ton. You half expect to see Reg Jackson, red hair tucked under his flat cap and cigarette hanging from his lips, still waiting in the pits.

The VRM’s unique environment adds to this feeling in spades. The infield is filled with the extraordinary, the eccentric and the exquisite; kids being given rides on penny-farthings, bearded men puttering around on veteran motorised bicycles, headscarf-clad ladies driving vintage Bugattis. There are stands selling the rusty,

M G AT M O N T L H É R Y

THIS SPREAD The diminutive but gutsy MG proves just as exhilarating to drive today as its legendary EX120 forebear did nearly a century ago.

on the track, the dipping, tight right-hand Epingle du Faye. Then it’s up through the gears, along the bumpy back straight in the shadow of the western banked section, before the longer Chicane Nord. Finally, it’s onto the banking itself.

The original banking at Monza was 21º, Brooklands 30º. Montlhéry is 51º, but it feels like 90º. The wall is vast, a concrete coliseum that urges speed but also tests your nerve – no more so than at the Chicane Est, a kink halfway along the curve designed to stop over-enthusiastic drivers from pushing their luck too far.

Counter-intuitively, you need to brake and maybe downshift before dipping the nose of the car towards the bottom of the slope.

Your fight-or-flight amygdala is yelling at you to maintain speed to keep you pinned to the wall, but you need to overcome that, turn at the bottom then, like a surfer, cut back up the giant stone wave.

On our run, the very brave reached the top, their tyres skittering to the delight of the crowd, but we managed about halfway up before dropping once more for a second chicane, then back to the start/finish. By the second session, my eye was in and my confidence high, but I overcooked the first corner and braked too late, the cold, cable-operated drums no match for the speed I had accumulated. I overshot,

much to the amusement of the marshals.

A few laps later, I was back into some sort of rhythm. I’d just overtaken a car when the distinctive shape of a Bugatti T35 front end hove into my mirror. I decided the Brit racing car wasn’t going to give in that easily to its old foe, and so I pushed harder – only to feel the MG hesitate and then splutter.

The culprit was subsequently revealed to be a slightly blocked fuel pump rather than the blown head gasket I’d feared. In my adrenaline-fuelled state, I hadn’t even tried swapping to the second pump, something that instantly solved the issue once back on the infield. And other than a need to rebalance the front brakes on day two – a job completed with the help of a borrowed jack and the knowledge of a fellow C-type owner – the little car performed faultlessly.

When we weren’t preoccupied with the MG, we explored the event. The attendees were extraordinary: a vast, 3.0-litre 1911 Delage sat next to David Haywood’s Leyland-Thomas special, close to a row of dusty, road-beaten Salmsons. There were rust-encrusted three-wheeler cyclecars, single-pot motorcycles, and a grid of highly unusual eccentricities grouped together under the name the Flying Banana.

On Sunday night, as we headed home, I considered what an incredible experience the event had been, and why it felt different to other meetings. Inclusivity is one: there are no drivers’ clubs or paddock passes; everyone just mingles, and it is small enough to be intimate but not feel crowded.

Then, there’s the place itself. It is one of the few venues where normal people can experience a little of what those racing and

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record-breaking pioneers felt, and live it again. But for me, it was the combination of car and track that made it unforgettable.

This amazing little MG, nearly a century old but still capable of extraordinary speeds, overwhelmed my senses: the screaming supercharger, the whine of the straight-cut gears, the feel of the huge, twine-bound steering wheel twisting in my hands as the tyres skittered over the banking; the wonderful confectionery of mechanical smells and sights... That mental picture of the Bugatti in my mirror, swathed in a cloud of dust, is one I’m keeping forever.

Every year, the rumour goes around that it’s the final VRM, that the event can’t last.

The accountants are almost certainly saying that it needs to be more commercial: more traders, more sponsors, more money. I’m sure some of the vast wealth that visits Rétromobile in Paris could be encouraged to return to Montlhéry for the VRM. There could be VIP areas, an auction, helipads, maybe a new access road off the motorway.

Minders could hustle old Formula 1 drivers past gaping crowds, and lifestyle journalists could tap away in a glossy media centre, telling their readers how authentic it all is.

And it’d be a huge, huge shame.

As for the little MG, I was blown away.

On the road, it’s like a racing car of any era: bumpy, loud and with an eagerness to move quickly that translates into jerkiness in slow traffic. But put it on the track, and it’s transformed. The supercharged engine puts out an obscene amount of power for a 93-year-old, and the short wheelbase and light steering mean you can really throw it into the corners, lose a little traction on the back, then power away.

Plus, the noise. Oh, the noise... that blarting fantail exhaust spitting over your left shoulder is one of the most wonderful sounds in motoring, The twisting First Circuit was a perfect playground for this MG, even if the cable brakes were not quite as competent as the rest of the car. Two other C-type Midgets had the larger drums, and another a different rear-axle gear ratio – sensible mods, especially for a quicker circuit such as Goodwood, the venue for this MG’s next outing. As for Montlhéry, if the VRM is run again and they’ll have me, I’ll be back. In fact, I’m just scouting the classified ads for a pre-war tow car.

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THE BLAND THAT TIME FORGOT

Concours judge Gary Axon marks ten years of Hagerty’s Festival of the Unexceptional, celebrating the best and worst of motoring mundanity Words Gary Axon Photography Hagerty

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FOR MANY DECADES, IF YOU WERE fortunate enough to own a significant Ferrari, a pre-war Rolls-Royce, a coachbuilt Maserati, a Delage, Bugatti, Duesenburg or what have you, the world was your oyster with an abundance of stylish and exclusive concours d’elegance events in which to participate, showcase your fine vehicle and mingle with like-minded (and mostly wealthy) old-car enthusiasts.

If your chosen mode of transport was a rather more down-to-earth and humble car, however, until only a decade ago you and your faithful everyday vehicle would have been largely ignored, and possibly even derided. But then, ten years back, a couple of the then-senior managers at Hagerty came up with the simple but wholly inspired idea of celebrating the once-popular everyday models we all grew up with – those cars that used to be commonplace on every high street and highway in Britain, but had now all but disappeared from our roads.

Once cherished and proudly cleaned every Sunday morning, most of the ‘regular’ motors of our memories have now become unloved, unwanted and unseen. Through natural wear-and-tear wastage, changing tastes and fashions, unforgiving vehiclescrappage schemes, corrosion, electrical glitches and increasingly difficult-to-source spare parts (not helped by the widespread closure of scrap yards, plus the sad demise of a number of once-major automotive marques, such as Austin Rover, Chrysler, Saab and so on), many of the cars that used to play a familiar and important part in our lives now live on only in our memories.

Having created, curated and judged at a number of top automotive concours events around the globe for decades, usually filled with rare and outstanding world-class cars, when I first heard rumours about Hagerty’s proposed celebration of the simpler things in life, the idea immediately appealed to me.

This inspired new concours event came as a very welcome breath of fresh air and an antidote to established international concours, such as Pebble Beach, Villa d’Este and the Cartier Style et Luxe at Goodwood, each of which pandered to the custodians of some of the most valuable, 72

THIS SPREAD Gary Axon (cream jacket) relishes his role as FOTU judge, in which he gets to see the best of the daily drivers that once ruled the UK’s highways and byways but are now heart-breakingly rare.

‘Being a judge at this unique celebration of bland cars is a real privilege’ scarce and sought-after cars on the planet.

Hagerty’s Concours de l’Ordinaire’ – or the Festival of the Unexceptional (FOTU) as it was officially called – was a new initiative to highlight the high attrition rate of some of the previously best-loved vehicles from our more recent motoring history. The inaugural FOTU in 2014 was purposely held quite centrally for ease of access from most of the UK within the grounds of Whittlebury Park, near Silverstone. FOTU remained there for its first three years, before moving just a few miles away to the imposing Stowe School for a couple of years, with a late switch to HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

Claydon House in Buckinghamshire in 2019 due to a prior commitment at Stowe.

After an enforced year off in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, from 2021 onwards FOTU successfully relocated further north to the agreeable and more spacious Lincolnshire setting of Grimsthorpe Castle.

By 2021 this additional space was urgently needed for FOTU fans, because the popularity and reputation of the event, plus the whole ‘brilliance of blandness’ motoring movement, had grown substantially. The scenic Grimsthorpe Castle venue proved to be ideal, with the grounds and charming historic English house as a backdrop contrasting beautifully with the many mundane and unremarkable ‘everyday’ cars. Since that first pioneering FOTU of 2014, appreciation for these onceoverlooked machines was now attracting an almost cult following, as evidenced by the 5000-plus enthusiasts that attended this year’s tenth-anniversary FOTU in more than 2000-plus ‘interesting’ rarely seen, unusual and unexceptional cars.

For the inaugural FOTU, a scarce but truly unexceptional Alfasud-powered 1985 Nissan Cherry Europe was chosen by the expert judging panel as the overall Best in Show winner. The Cherry was one of just 28 sold new that year, and its owner – Ed Rattley – has gone on to become an enthusiastic FOTU supporter, attending the majority of the events over the past ten years, plus getting a few of his fellow Japanese-owning old-car friends to also participate.

In fact, to date everyday vehicles from the Orient have the strongest track record of winning FOTU, with four of the first ten Best in Show victors hailing from Japan (two Nissans, a Toyota and a Daihatsu), plus one from Malaysia (a Proton Saga). The remaining five Best in Show winners were

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reassuringly mainstream vehicles made in the UK by BL, Ford, Chrysler and Vauxhall, with British-built machinery tending to take the spectators’ People’s Choice awards.

Frustratingly I couldn’t attend the very first FOTU in 2014 due to a prior commitment organising another concours event for rather more exotic vehicles elsewhere. However, knowledgeable old-car experts Tanya Field, Danny Hopkins and Sam Skelton were on hand to undertake the judging, as they still do today, with myself coming onboard the following year. We have subsequently been joined by TV presenter Jon Bentley, motoring journalists Steve Cropley and Richard Bremner, plus a once-only guest appearance from famed car customiser and occasional TV face Edd China.

When judging the 50 or so unexceptional vehicles that are painstakingly chosen from a host of hopeful FOTU entries each year, we work to the same agreed basic criteria; the reason why the participant has entered his or her particular car, the story behind it, plus the vehicle’s suitability and originality.

The more unremarkable the car, the better suited it is for FOTU. As judges, we place an emphasis on originality and ordinary, less ‘exotic’ versions of models, preferring an L specification to a GTi version, a Popular to a Cosworth and a Renault to a Rolls-Royce.

Anything too exciting or exotic tends to be frowned upon, although it usually won’t have made it past the pre-event entrance-approval process anyway. Non-original aftermarket mods or updates, such as non-factory alloys, will work against the car, too. The more original the better, with standard base models often finding favour over a fancy top-spec ‘bells and whistles’ variant.

As judges, we also like to learn about the story behind the vehicle, because this can make the difference when having to choose between a number of the same make and model, so it is important to really ‘sell’ your vehicle to us when you submit it for entry to FOTU. And it doesn’t even have to be a car. Past masters have included a moped, a camper van, plus a few pick-ups. FOTU is open to vehicles up to 30 years old and beyond. In the initial years of the event, quite a few wonderfully ordinary cars from the 1960s (Triumph Herald, Hillman Minx,

‘Many cars that played a familiar part in our lives now live on only in our memories’ Morris 1100, Ford Cortina and so on) were entered, but over the decade the emphasis has moved on to more modern machinery, with models from the 1980s and ’90s being the stars. Most of these I can still remember being launched in an era when car colours shifted from beige and brown to silver and grey, but their numbers are now sadly decimated due to neglect and disinterest.

It is noticeable that the FOTU entrants have also become much younger in more recent years, with higher used-car values plus increasing running and insurance costs making a standard ageing Metro, Ford Ka or Fiat Panda, for example, look much more

tempting (and fun) to drivers in their late teens or early-mid 20s. A number of them are already saving and restoring these oncecommonplace cars, showing a genuine appreciation for such ordinary machinery plus the compelling stories behind each vehicle, such as it previously being loved by, say, a careful neighbour or aged aunt.

Being a regular judge at this unique celebration of the bland cars that once littered our highways is a real privilege, and an enjoyable antidote to more ‘traditional’ shows and concours events for exotica and expensive classic road and race machinery.

My one day at FOTU helps to make the mundane almost exotic, because it is home to some of the rarest cars in the world not adorned with an exalted badge and an eye-watering price tag. It’s a real nostalgia trip – and often a surprising tear-jerker as the owners tell fascinating stories. As a judge you can’t let personal preferences or dislikes prejudice your opinion, and sometimes a car that I personally wouldn’t want in my garage might become a winner, largely due to the story behind it.

If there is a downside to being a FOTU judge, though, it is not having much spare time to just stand and admire the amazing collection of rare and interesting ‘ordinary’ machines in which the thousands of attendees arrive, or to soak up the incredibly laid-back and nostalgic atmosphere in what has to be the most fascinating car park in Britain. It’s difficult to know where to look first. For me, this helps to make FOTU the motoring event of the year.

Got any great FOTU memories or stories of ‘unexceptional’ vehicles you may own? Tell us about them at hdc@hagerty.co.uk.

THIS SPREAD Nostalgia is strong for relatively recent automotive days of old, with discontinued models and even marques put firmly in the spotlight at this most endearing of events.

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Events, practical tips, buying and owning classics, market trends and more

78 EVENTS Meetings, cruises and places to go with your classic

80 PRODUCTS Round-up of automotiveinspired products and books

82 PRACTICAL Winter storage for your classic, and driving tips with Paul Ripley

87 MARKET Insight into the classic car market with AutoIntel

88 BUYING Audi TT Mk1 buying guide, and pre-war cars, too

98 MCKEEL HAGERTY Welcome to the first UK edition of the HDC magazine, from company boss McKeel Hagerty XX

E V E N T S D I A RY

Where the action is Need an extra excuse for a drive out? Here’s where you’ll meet fellow petrolheads NOVEMBER

Cadwell Park Stage Rally and Fireworks Sunday, November 17 Cawkell, Louth.

Expect fireworks, both in the air and on the track, at this popular rallying event cadwellpark.co.uk Haynes Motor Museum: F1, The Hidden Battles November 21, 22, 28, 29 Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset.

Discussing the F1 inside story behind Williams Racing haynesmuseum.org Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’10s November 23-24 The Hill, Ettington, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Hypercars or hot hatches, they’re the perfect ’10s caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’90s November 23-24 The Bowl, Ampthill Road, Houghton Conquest, Bedford.

The peak decade for automotive engagement? Plenty to discuss caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’80s November 23-24 The Hut, Petersfield.

The decade of excess – shoulder pads as wide as the bodykits caffeineandmachine.com Winter Stages Rally Sunday, November 24 Croft Circuit, West Lane,

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Dalton-on-Tees, Darlington.

Rallying returns to the historical Croft circuit for flat-out frolics croftcircuit.co.uk/racing/ winter-stages Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’80s November 30-December 1 The Hill, Ettington, Stratford-upon-Avon.

The decade of excess, iconic hatches and supercars caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’10s November 30-December 1 The Bowl, Ampthill Road, Houghton Conquest, Bedford.

Automotive culture that defined the modern era caffeineandmachine.com

Lakeland Historic Car Club Monthly Meet Saturday, December 7 Lakeland Motor Museum, Backbarrow, Ulverston.

Lunchtime Lakeland loveliness with all classics welcome lhcc.club Podium Cars & Coffee Breakfast Club Saturday, December 7 31A Bone Lane, Newbury.

From classic cars to supercars, the coffee’s roasting and pastries are being warmed podiumplace.co.uk/events Jaguar Breakfast Meet Saturday, December 7 British Motor Museum, Warwick.

Jaguar owners and enthusiasts have their chance to shine britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ whats-on

Caffeine & Machine Celebration of the Generations: The ’70s November 30-December 1 The Hut, Petersfield.

Flares and flair with this celebration of the 1970s caffeineandmachine.com

Caffeine & Machine Celebration of Colour December 7-8 The Bowl, Ampthill Road, Houghton Conquest, Bedford.

Bright and breezy as extrovert automobiles go on display caffeineandmachine.com

DECEMBER

Haynes Breakfast Club Sunday, December 1 Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil.

Weekly event at worldfamous automotive collection haynesbreakfastclub.org

Caffeine & Machine StrassenKultur Weekender December 7-8 The Hill, Ettington, Stratford-upon-Avon.

German greatness gears up for The Hill caffeineandmachine.com

Donington Stage Rally Sunday, December 1 Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derby.

Season-ending motor sport with rallying wonders donington-park.co.uk

Caffeine & Machine Honour the Uplifted December 7-8 The Hut, Petersfield.

Big beasts from the world of 4x4s on display caffeineandmachine.com

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Coffees & Cars with Takona Sunday, December 8 Gasoline Juice, The Royal Ordinance Depot, Harmans Way, Weedon Bec, Northampton; The Wonder Works, Westwood Industrial Estate, Margate; Pizza Squisita, Bell Street, Sawbridgeworth, Herts; Fair Tree Farm, Little Marcle Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire; The Great British Car Journey, Unit 4 Derwent Works, Ambergate, Derbyshire; Re:Fuel, Five Bridges, Willand Road, Cullompton, Devon.

Community cohesion with cars, at locations all over England – what could be better? takona.co.uk Newark Autojumble Wednesday, December 11 Newark and Notts Showground, Newark, Nottinghamshire.

Restoration parts, plus random things you never knew you needed mortons.co.uk Caffeine & Machine Pride & Joy Weekender Saturday-Sunday, December 14-15 The Hill, Ettington, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Celebrate the ultimate car in your collection caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Thunderbolt Saturday-Sunday, December 14-15 The Bowl, Ampthill Road, Houghton Conquest, Bedford.

Be bowled over by the best of the US of A, from vintage hot rods to lifted trucks caffeineandmachine.com

Caffeine & Machine Best of British Saturday-Sunday, December 14-15 The Hut, Petersfield.

Austin to Aston, Morris to McLaren – all are welcome caffeineandmachine.com Festive Four-Wheelers at Bicester Sunday, December 15 Bicester Heritage, Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Four-wheel-drive fun for all.

Don’t forget to visit the Hagerty Clubhouse while you’re on site bicesterheritage.co.uk Caffeine & Machine All-Italian Weekender Saturday-Sunday, December 21-22 The Hill, Ettington, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Everything from Fiats to Ferraris caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Daikoku Weekend Saturday-Sunday, December 21-22 The Bowl, Ampthill Road, Houghton Conquest, Bedford.

Japanese bike and car culture caffeineandmachine.com Caffeine & Machine Supercar Style Guide Saturday-Sunday, December 21-22 The Hut, Petersfield.

Performance and style… the stuff posters are made of caffeineandmachine.com

‘Performance and style… the stuff posters are made of, at Supercar Style Guide’

Classic Drive & Ride @ Lakeland Motor Museum Thursday, December 26 Lakeland Motor Museum, Backbarrow, Ulverston.

All cars of all ages welcome to be displayed at the museum facebook.com/ lakelandmotormuseum

JANUARY

Brooklands New Year’s Day Classic Gathering Wednesday, January 1 Brooklands Drive, Weybridge, Surrey.

Kick the year off in style at the original home of British motor sport brooklandsmuseum.com Lakeland Historic Car Club Monthly Meet Saturday, January 4 Lakeland Motor Museum, Backbarrow, Ulverston.

Lunchtime Lakeland loveliness with all classics welcome lhcc.club Bicester Scramble Sunday, January 5 Bicester Heritage, Bicester, Oxfordshire.

Huge gathering of classics, supercars and more. Don’t forget to visit the Hagerty Clubhouse while you’re on site bicesterheritage.co.uk AACNW Monthly Meet Sunday, January 5 City Airport, Liverpool Road, Eccles, Manchester.

American delights and sights. Everyone welcome aacnw.com/events Autosport International Thursday-Sunday, January 9-12 NEC Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

Annual curtain-raiser for the motor sport world, celebrating 75 years of F1 autosportinternational.com/en

Coffees & Cars with Takona Sunday, January 12 Snowtrax, 15 Matchams Lane, Christchurch, Dorset; Gasoline Juice, The Royal Ordinance Depot, Harmans Way, Weedon Bec, Northampton; The Wonder Works, Westwood Industrial Estate, Westwood, Margate, Kent; Pizza Squisita, Bell Street, Sawbridgeworth, Herts; Fair Tree Farm, Little Marcle Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire; The Great British Car Journey, Unit 4 Derwent Works, Ambergate, Derbyshire; Re:Fuel, Five Bridges, Willand Road, Cullompton, Devon.

Community cohesion with cars, at locations all over England – what could be better? takona.co.uk

FEBRUARY

The Coopers Arms Winter Classic Car Meet Saturday, February 1 The Green, Weston-on-Trent, Derbyshire.

Informal chat and more with classic car enthusiasts coopers-arms.co.uk Lakeland Historic Car Club Monthly Meet Saturday, February 1 Lakeland Motor Museum, Backbarrow, Ulverston.

Lunchtime Lakeland loveliness with all classics welcome hcc.club AACNW Monthly Meet Sunday, February 2 City Airport (Manchester), Liverpool Road, Eccles, Manchester.

American delights and sights, with fun for all aacnw.com/events Coffees & Cars with Takona Sunday, February 9 Gasoline Juice, The Royal Ordinance Depot, Harmans Way, Weedon Bec, Northampton; The Wonder Works, Westwood Industrial Estate, Margate; Pizza Squisita, Bell Street, Sawbridgeworth, Herts;

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Fair Tree Farm, Little Marcle Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire; The Great British Car Journey, Unit 4 Derwent Works, Ambergate, Derbyshire; Re:Fuel, Five Bridges, Willand Road, Cullompton, Devon.

Community cohesion with cars, at locations all over England – what could be better? takona.co.uk The Flowing Spring Classic Car & Bike Breakfast Meet Sunday, February 9 The Flowing Spring, Henley Road, Reading.

Everyone welcome, whether on two wheels or four theflowingspringpub.co.uk

MARCH

AACNW Monthly Meet Sunday, March 2 City Airport (Manchester), Liverpool Road, Eccles, Manchester.

American delights and sights, with fun for all aacnw.com/events Hatch Gate Classic Car Gathering Monday, March 3 The Hatch Gate, Reading Road, The Hatch, Burghfield, Reading.

Something for everyone, with all comers welcome burghfieldspices.co.uk Coffees & Cars with Takona Sunday, March 9 Gasoline Juice, The Royal Ordinance Depot, Harmans Way, Weedon Bec, Northampton; The Wonder Works, Westwood Industrial Estate, Margate; Pizza Squisita, Bell Street, Sawbridgeworth, Herts; Fair Tree Farm, Little Marcle Road, Ledbury, Herefordshire; The Great British Car Journey, Unit 4 Derwent Works, Ambergate, Derbyshire; Re:Fuel, Five Bridges, Willand Road, Cullompton, Devon.

Community cohesion with cars, at locations all over England – what could be better? takona.co.uk

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PR O D U C T S A N D BO O KS

Cool stuff Round-up of the latest automotive-inspired products and books

MHD Watches Daily Driver Inspired by the black-on-white watches worn by 1960s racing stars, the Daily Driver is powered by a Seiko VK64 Hybrid Meca-Quartz movement, in a lightweight exoskeleton chassis.

The matte white dial features MHD’s signature ‘in the red zone’ graphic from 8pm to 11pm, and laser-cut holes reveal vintage-coloured Super-LumiNova on the sub-dial. It costs £595 – and Hagerty Drivers Club members receive a free additional leather strap. www.mhdwatches.com

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Lego Land Rover Classic Defender One for kids of all ages, this 2336-piece set comes with off-road accessories plus working steering and suspension. It’s £209.99. https://shop.landrover.co.uk

50 Years 911 Turbo touring bag This Porsche Classic bag celebrates the 911 Turbo’s 50th birthday. The internal drawer is inspired by the 911 G’s door panels, and there are handy side compartments. It costs £617. https://shop.porsche.com

Fast Fords: 50 Years Up Close and Personal With Ford’s Finest This wonderful, £60, 408-page book weaves author Jeremy Walton’s own life in with some of Ford’s hottest road and track cars. www.evropublishing.com

The Citroënist by Martone This Martone Cycling and Citroën collab is inspired by the Spacetourer: The Citroënist concept. Boasting an aluminium-alloy frame, it comes in two sizes and costs £1179. www.lifestyle.citroen.com

Looking For the Real Weasel

Puma BMW M bomber jacket

Racing driver Roy James reached infamy for his part in the Great Train Robbery and other bonkers criminal schemes, as this entertaining, £8.75, 188-page book reveals. www.amazon.co.uk

This bomber jacket pays tribute to BMW’s famed Art Car programme with an avant-garde print inspired by Roy Lichtenstein’s 1977 take on the 320i. Made from windCELL technology, it’s available in sizes XS to XXL, and costs £186. https://lifestyle.bmw.com/en/home

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CA R M A I N T E N A N C E

Getting your classic ready for winter Follow our top tips to ensure your pride and joy always winters well

SHORT DAYS, LONG NIGHTS AND salty roads are fast approaching. For all but the bravest among us, that means it’s time to put our classic cars into hibernation.

And just like the average bear readying for its winter sleep, your car needs some preparation before bedding down for the coldest months of the year.

Whether it will be squirrelled away from Jack Frost under a cover or a carport, or inside a climate-controlled storage facility or personal garage, follow these steps and your pride and joy should emerge in prime condition in the spring.

Wash and wax Words Nik Berg Photography Alamy

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Begin with a thorough wash. Everyone has their own preferred methods, but you can’t HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

go wrong with a good dowsing with snow foam to loosen any stubborn grit, followed by a two-bucket wash with a mitt to ensure that you’re not rubbing any of that grit over your precious paintwork. If your car has spent any time under a tree over the summer, you’ll probably want to go over it with a clay bar and detailing spray to remove any sap that could damage paint if left untreated. Finally, a decent polish or wax – or even ceramic coating for ultimate protection – is highly recommended.

Take on fluids Hopefully you made good use of the warmer weather and put many miles on your classic.

A change of oil and filter, plus ensuring the correct ratio of antifreeze in the coolant

system are simple, sensible moves to make sure the main moving parts are ready for their rest. Petrol has a nasty habit of absorbing moisture if it’s left unused, so you may want to consider a special storage fuel. You could try Sustain Classic from Hagerty partner Coryton, which has zero ethanol, making it ideal for winter storage as well as being a little lighter on the planet.

Get your rubber ready

THIS SPREAD A thorough soaking with snow foam before contactwashing your car is the best possible start to winter prep; don’t forget the fuel in your tank, too.

If you’re not going to move your classic for a prolonged period, there’s a danger that the tyres could develop flat spots. To avoid this, you can do a couple of things. First slightly over-inflate the tyres, then insulate them from the cold ground. You could use foam board or plywood to keep the rubber a tad HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

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warmer than the ground temperature and stop moisture being sucked out of the compound. Another option is to put the car on axle stands and remove the wheels, but that will obviously make it impossible to move the car, and could possibly cause suspension strain. Meanwhile, the TyreDox concave rubber cushion is designed for the job – and HDC members get ten percent off. See www.tyredox.co.uk for details.

Chock don’t brake Assuming your car is sitting on its wheels, it’s best to apply chocks to stop the car moving rather than applying the handbrake.

Otherwise weeks or months of pads in constant contact with discs (or shoes with drums) could cause them to seize.

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Battery care Even when it’s switched off, your car can drain its battery by powering something as simple as a clock or as complex as its security system. Ideally, then, you’ll want to keep the battery healthy by using a trickle charger. And if there’s no electricity outlet where you store the car, then it’s a good idea to disconnect the negative terminal or fit a battery isolator switch instead. Even so, you may well need to condition and charge the battery after a cold winter.

Damp-busting “Anyone with experience of storing cars over a long-term period will tell you that controlling humidity is the most important way to preserve the car,” says James Mills, HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

‘Controlling humidity is the most important way to preserve your car’

THIS SPREAD Dehumidified storage is the best way to preserve a car; covers work well inside but can trap moisture if the car is stored outside; removing wheels will avoid tyre flat spots.

being breathable can trap moisture underneath. Glassfibre-bodied vehicles especially do not do well under these circumstances, but even steel or aluminium cars will benefit from staying well ventilated.

Consider Carcooning With airflow in mind, a further option comes in the form of a Carcoon that protects your classic inside a plastic bubble. These come in indoor and outdoor versions, and feature fans that circulate fresh, dehumidified air around your car. At more than £600 for an outdoor variant they’re not cheap, but they look to offer a high standard of protection. founder of Racing Green Car Storage (www.racinggreencarstorage.co.uk), which is offering all HDC members 20 percent off storage fees at its facility in Kent.

“High humidity can lead to moisture forming on surfaces, which may cause corrosion. Excessive moisture can also make paintwork blister while, inside, that humidity provides an ideal environment for the growth of mould and mildew, which you’ll smell before you see it – damp, stale air. That puts upholstery and leather at risk. Excess humidity can also affect a car’s electrical systems by corroding connectors and increasing the risk of short circuits.

“Conversely, if the air is too dry, plastics dry out, meaning dashes can warp or crack, and leather dries out. It’s the same

risk for rubber seals. Controlling humidity levels helps prevent these issues, protecting the vehicle and avoiding costly repair bills.”

As such, it’s worth buying a dehumidifier to keep the air at the correct level of 55 percent humidity. But don’t forget it will need to be checked and emptied regularly.

To cover or not to cover?

Assuming that your classic is inside, in a nice dehumidified garage or storage facility, fitting a dust cover to keep that freshly washed and polished paintwork clean is a good idea. However, if it’s exposed to the elements under a carport or left in the open then, counter-intuitively, a cover may not actually be the best choice. Even covers that are marketed as HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

Keep the critters away Your car may not be the only thing your garage is providing a winter sanctuary for.

Rodents may also find the relative warmth rather appealing. So if you think you may face a critter issue, consider blocking any gaps – not just in the garage walls, roof and doors, but also in the car itself.

Maintain the paperwork You may not be driving it for months, but there’s still the potential for your car to be damaged or stolen while in storage, so make sure you keep the insurance up to date. For a car that’s not road tax exempt you can apply for SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification) status and save a few quid – just don’t forget to tax it again before you drive it.

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DRIVING TIPS

What to look out for when driving a classic car It’s a bit more involved – and a lot more rewarding – than a modern vehicle THERE’S SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL about jumping into a classic car and going for a drive. Or, better still, a longer and well planned scenic road trip that delivers great memories and hours of enjoyment in a way that few other pastimes are able to match.

Modern, everyday cars are generally well equipped, and most have various integrated safety systems, but that’s generally not the case with older classics. These lack ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems) that we now take for granted, and few even have ABS – a wonderful aid when emergency braking is called for. More on that later.

Then there’s the way classic cars actually 86

drive: the way they brake, steer and accelerate; the way higher-profile tyres grip the road surface; general ride and handling; and all the other important areas we take for granted with more modern machinery.

There’s simply changing gears, too – where, if the car is old enough, we may even have to use the antiquated ‘double declutch’ method. Who among you knows how to do that? For many people such things are a forgotten art of driving, and something this column may well revisit in the future.

What about the preparations before a drive? In the interests of both safety and preventative maintenance, it makes sense to inspect your car prior to any journey. Go through it diligently, starting with tyre pressures (when cold) and making overall condition checks, before moving into the engine bay. Look at every fluid level to ensure the engine and the ancillary components have everything they need.

Our driving techniques may well need a few adjustments when we step from our modern cars to our classics. Newer drivers of older machinery in particular need time to ‘bed in’ to these cars, to get to know how it behaves and responds when inputs are made. It may take time to become ‘as one’ with the vehicle, but the effort is worth it in the long run. For true enthusiasts, little compares with driving a classic on the road.

Talking of older cars, how many of you know the difference between ABS and the older method of emergency braking, known HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

as cadence braking – a skill that was widely used prior to ABS becoming standard fit?

The benefit of having ABS is that it allows the driver to brake as hard as they can yet still retain full directional (steering) control. Without it, hitting the stoppers hard will cause the wheels to lock up, robbing the driver of steering control and flat-spotting the tyres in the process.

The cadence technique still requires the driver to hit the brake pedal hard, causing the wheels to momentarily lock up, before releasing some of the pressure on the pedal, allowing the rims to rotate again.

Back in the day, hitting the brakes hard and releasing some pressure and repeating the process in quick succession was the only technique that allowed the driver some steering control on the edge of lock-up.

Think of cadence braking as a rhythmic pumping of the pedal – doing it as quickly as possible and trying to turn the steering wheel to point to where you need to go.

We all love driving our classics, because they bring another level of fulfilment and enjoyment to driving, but we need to remember their dynamic limitations and their potential fragility at times.

PAUL RIPLEY Award-winning drivingsafety expert shares his knowledge from the high-performance training industry.

1657

THE MARKET

How Hagerty gives insight into the classic car market

unsustainable levels. The continued huge demand for events, rallies and competition events, and seemingly ever-increasing workload of good restoration businesses, suggests that the market is in good health despite the price drops. More sensible values may also encourage people to use their cars more and store them less, and it could allow younger, less wealthy people into the hobby, both of which I believe are positives.

There are, of course, cars that are just falling a little out of favour, and their values may drop as enthusiasts become too old to remain owners. It’s notable that a recent analysis of Hagerty cars insured worldwide showed that those with almost exclusively older owners (over 90 percent being born before 1965) were themselves older cars – not one model on the list was first produced after 1981. This is reflected in Hagerty’s indices, where the only significant faller over the past quarter was the Best of British, an index tracking typically older, more traditional home-grown models.

Over the winter, values rarely fluctuate; spring will bring 2025’s first indications. By then, the ramifications of the Government’s autumn budget will have become clearer.

Until then, enjoy your motoring.

Where are classic prices heading? Using AutoIntel, Hagerty can give you the answers HAGERTY MAY BE MOST WIDELY known as a provider of classic and collector car insurance, but the ethos of the company has always been about supporting the enthusiast – and McKeel Hagerty’s direction to this day remains clear in this respect.

Valuation operations are a key part of this added value. Founded nearly 20 years ago in the US, and 12 years ago here in the UK, the Hagerty Price Guide tracks and publishes thousands of classic values and has helped many owners and buyers work out what their cherished vehicle is worth. Such clarity, Hagerty believes, reassures buyers, helps sellers pitch their cars at the right price level, and enables informed decision making in regard to restoration and refurbishment.

These days, the Hagerty department that publishes the Price Guides is known as AutoIntel, short for Automotive Intelligence.

It is thus called because we analyse more than simply values; we collect data on everything that could be of interest to enthusiasts, including automotive shipping data, demographic information and even,

through Hagerty’s Power List, what impact celebrity ownership has on values. We work globally as a team spread across the UK, US, Australia and Germany, and we still edit the Price Guide values manually every quarter. The median auction value method that others use may be cheap and quick, but it’s also inaccurate – so we avoid it.

In every issue of the HDC magazine, this column will look at what’s going on in the UK market, identifying trends and providing context. I will not only discuss what the data says, but also speak to the enthusiasts, dealers and auctioneers to give a view of the human elements that drive (no pun intended) the market. I hope you find it interesting and useful.

This year, we’re experiencing something new for us: a sustained period of market correction where many values have dropped.

I use the word ‘correction’ intentionally, because the roughly 30 percent of models that have dropped since summer 2023 have, in the most part, done so because the postCovid boom had pushed their prices up to

JOHN MAYHEAD Hagerty Price Guide editor, author, market commentator and concours judge.

Hagerty UK indices to September 2024 Average value change percentage over time (Feb 2018 is 100%) 125%

Gold

120

Hot Hatch

115

RADwood Classic

110 105

Best of British

100 95

FOTU

90 Apr 18

Jul

Oct

Jan 19

Apr

Jul

Oct

Jan 20

Apr

Jul

Oct

Jan 21

Apr

Jul

Oct

Jan 22

Apr

Jul

Oct

Jan 23

Apr

Jul

Oct

Jan 24

Apr

Jul

Source: Hagerty I Get the data I Created with Datawrapper

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BUYING GUIDE

1998–2006 Audi TT Mk1 Ultra stylish, cheap to run and yet to become truly expensive, the Audi TT is one to watch Words Nathan Chadwick Photography Dean Smith

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THE TT WAS A REVELATION AT THE 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show, where it debuted as a 2+2 Coupé. Its Bauhaus-esque design turned heads, and when a Roadster version debuted at the Tokyo expo a few months later, Audi simply had to build it. The model appeared three years later with few changes to the concepts, and subsequently went on to become highly popular.

At launch, the only engine option was a 1.8-litre inline-four petrol turbo. VW’s 3.2-litre VR6 powerplant later joined the range, offering 247bhp. All motors were mounted transversely. You could also specify a Quattro all-wheel-drive system, while the doors, bonnet and bootlid were crafted from aluminium. Five- or six-speed HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

manual gearboxes were offered, as well as an innovative six-speed DSG auto.

The TT was criticised in period for not being an uncompromised, thoroughbred sports car, but this is now a good thing – certainly in terms of looking for parts.

The Audi is a robust little machine that offers reliable, entertaining motoring as long as it has been looked after. “It is iconic,” says Vince Hickman of Bedfordbased The TT Shop (www.thettshop.co.uk).

“The design is timeless, and many prefer the look of the Mk1 model.”

Engine and gearbox If you are shopping for four-cylinder cars, beware that examples with a chequered

What to pay 1.8 225

Quattro Sport 1.8

Fair £2000

Fair £8900

Good £3400

Good £10,200

Excellent £5300

Excellent £11,700

Concours £7700

Concours £15,100

3.2 V6 Fair £9100 Good £10,500 Excellent £11,900 Concours £15,600 * Prices from Hagerty Price Guide

service history can often suffer with oil-starvation problems from a blocked lubricant pick-up pipe. Leaks around the rocker cover, injector ports and inlet manifold are also common issues.

A rattling cambelt will need to be replaced, along with its tensioners. A cambelt should last 60,000 miles or five years, although this is often overlooked.

Make sure the work has been done, because a broken cambelt means a £2500 engine rebuild. Budget £450 for a fresh cambelt.

While the standard water pump has brittle plastic impeller blades that are known to snap, replacement metal impellers are available. However, there is debate as to whether the metal ones are

THIS SPREAD TT Mk1’s design has been described as iconic and timeless, and thanks to solid Audi mechanicals and trim, it is lasting well more than a quarter of a century down the line.

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better, because they can put extra wear on the water-pump bearings. “It depends on mileage,” says Vince. “I use revised official Audi plastic impellers; metal ones were designed to flow better at a higher rpm.”

The engine’s dipstick tubing is also made of plastic and can snap, leading to a breather problem. “A lot of people overlook the rocker-cover leak, too,” adds Vince, who advises checking the gasket around the timing-chain adjuster, as well as the plastic and rubber hoses near the intake manifold. The latter can crack, split or go squidgy over time.

While many cars have been remapped, the quality of the work varies. Make sure it’s been done properly via a well known 89

‘A robust little machine that offers reliable, entertaining motoring’

THIS SPREAD Of the wide choice of TT models available, the Coupé-based variants are generally more practical and refined than the Roadster for daily use.

Specifications 1.8-litre turbo inline-four Power

148-236bhp

Top speed

133-155mph (limited)

0-62mph

6.6-8.6 seconds

Economy

30-35mpg

3.2-litre VR6 Power

247bhp

Top speed

155mph (limited)

0-62mph

5.7-6.3 seconds

Economy

27mpg

Model history

and well respected tuner. The VR6 engine is largely robust, but rattly camchains are a known problem. “Fixing this is a labour-intensive procedure, because you have to remove the engine,” says Vince.

“It costs around £3000.”

Manual TT gearboxes are highly robust, and clutches can last for 100,000 miles if the car has been treated with respect.

Clutch replacement is a labour-intensive job, which is made more challenging when packaged in with the all-wheel-drive equipment on Quattro models. The clutch pedal can also snap off completely.

You should budget to have the Haldex diff coupling serviced every 38,000 miles.

Although this costs just £100, it is the TT’s most commonly overlooked maintenance 90

requirement. “Haldex units are generally fairly robust if well serviced,” Vince says.

The transmission oil in the DSG should be changed every 40,000 miles. Hesitant or jerky gearchanges mean that the Mechatronic unit is failing – and the fix will cost £1200: “DSG cars can suffer with rattly flywheels after a number of years,” explains Vince. “Some people mistake the noise with that of the camchain.”

Suspension and brakes Failing suspension wishbones or anti-roll bars are usually evidenced by a knocking sound that emanates from the front suspension; springs are also known to snap. “Rear trailing-arm bushes perish,” says Vince. “You should replace those HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

1995

TT concept car unveiled

1998

TT Coupé released

1999

TT Roadster released

2000

Recall for stability issues.

ESP fitted. Six-speed gearbox across entire range

2001

S-Line Coupé launched; leather seats, 18in wheels and lower suspension

2002

Lowered and fitted with 18in rims across range

2002

3.2-litre Quattro VR6 released, DSG auto now available. Bigger brakes, new front bumper, rear splitter and spoiler

2003

FWD 148bhp Roadster with five-speed transmission.

Roadster available with 3.2 VR6 and Quattro AWD. Manual gearbox for 3.2

2004

FWD 178bhp car available. Can be specified with six-speed DSG

2005

Coupé Quattro Sport launched.

Boasts 236bhp and 49kglighter kerbweight

2005

148bhp upped to 161bhp; 178bhp up to 187bhp.

222bhp option phased out

2006

Mk2 TT replaces Mk1

well before the 100,000-mile mark.”

Suspension bushes can disintegrate with age, although these are cheap and easy to remedy. The front bushes were replaced with larger ones as part of a high-speed sustainability recall in 2000, but they can be downsized to improve handling.

“The exposed rear brake lines are an MoT hotspot due to corrosion; the coating starts to break away,” says Vince.

Bodywork and interior While the extensive use of aluminium body panels has kept rust at bay, the earliest cars have now seen their 26th year – and corrosion is becoming a problem.

You will often find rot in the front wheelarches, sills, bootlid and rear quarter

panels, and in the roof rails of the Coupé versions. “Front wings are a definite spot to check, too,” explains Vince.

Misaligned panels and inconsistent paint texture usually mean the car has been crashed. Bodywork modifications are common – make sure they’ve been done professionally, to avert any future issues.

The cabin is decently made and should still be holding up well. Heated leather seats are common on first-gen TTs, and will likely be showing bolster wear; the heater elements are also known to fail.

“Check that the back seats operate as they should,” Vince advises. “The mechanism can wear, and when people put them down they become misaligned; it’s a tricky repair that involves reshaping the bracket.”

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Which to buy There’s a huge choice of models available, so take time to work out what experience you are ultimately looking for. Enthusiasts say the Coupé is generally more practical and refined as a daily driver, while the Roadster is more enjoyable as a summer sports car.

Vince suggests the Quattro Sport as the pick of the range, but he also highly recommends a facelift 225: “It’s lighter than the V6, and a better platform for tuning.”

Reliable, well made and still relatively modern, there isn’t a huge amount of risk involved in buying a TT. However, low values have meant many have been abused and subjected to a harsh life, so it’s better to spend more and secure a properly lookedafter example to avoid future expense.

91

C L AS S I C C H O I C E S

Choose pre-war, choose life!

If you want to experience classic cars at their most involving, then think about something pre-war. Many are relatively cheap, they’re usually easy to work on and they’re always amazing to drive Words David Lillywhite Photography Magic Car Pics

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DRIVING ANY CLASSIC SHOULD FEEL special. But when you drive a pre-war classic, the experience turns up several notches. If you think a post-war classic has bags of character, just wait until you try something built before the 1940s.

They are usually more challenging to drive than almost anything post-war, with quirky features aplenty: non-synchromesh transmissions, manually adjusted ignition timing on the steering wheel, hand-cranked engine starters, and often hand-operated brakes. Some even have centre throttles (that is, the accelerator pedal between the clutch and brake controls).

What’s common to all of them is that you will feel you’re really driving them.

Everything seems so much more mechanical and direct that the sensations of driving are more intense and ultimately more enjoyable in many ways. Granted,

THIS SPREAD Blower Bentley and Austin Seven are at opposite ends of the pre-war spectrum, but both offer similar levels of engagement.

some pre-war models are painfully slow, with ineffectual brakes and a tendency to overheat in traffic. But don’t tar them all with that brush, or even worry about it too much – if you’re not planning on going far, then it might not be a problem.

And anyway, many pre-war cars are genuinely fast – and with a bit of steering play, an open cockpit and a roaring exhaust, they feel even quicker than they actually are. They bounce around the road with hilarious abandon, corner faster than you’d ever expect, and utilise huge drum brakes to pull them to a reasonably abrupt halt.

Mr Toad, eat your heart out.

The massive variety of marques and models means it is impossible to even scratch the surface of what’s available in a single article, but there are a few worth a special mention. The Austin Seven is the obvious starting point: tiny even in later ‘Big Seven’ form, relatively affordable and plentiful, with strong spares availability and even a healthy racing and trialling scene. Special-bodied Sevens are how the likes of Colin Chapman and Bruce McLaren started their careers.

Similarly, even in the UK there’s a strong

‘They feel even quicker than they actually are. Mr Toad, eat your heart out’

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following for America’s equivalent of the Austin Seven, the Model T Ford. That’s a more acquired taste with its mind-boggling epicycle transmission, but, once you’ve learned that, you’ll be a convert to its go-anywhere capabilities. Later pre-war American Fords are similarly tough but a little easier to adapt to.

At the other end of the popular pre-war spectrum are the Vintage Bentleys that you will still see charging down to Le Mans, gung-ho owners bullying modern hatchbacks out of the way on the autoroute.

What a sight to behold! As with Sevens and Model Ts, Bentley specialists and spares are relatively easy to find.

Riley, MG and Alvis are also well served by excellent specialists, and it is even possible to buy a new continuation Alvis model (as it is with Bentley). At the exotic end of the scale, Alfa Romeos are also extremely well catered for.

What they almost all have in common is over-engineering. Weight and efficiency were far less of a consideration in those days, so heavy-gauge metal and hefty fasteners were the default. Bodywork was often built around a wooden (usually ash) 93

THIS PAGE Alvis’s Speed models are great tourers – and, fittingly, not averse to the odd speed trial; the same goes for the Model T Ford below.

frame, sat on a crude ladder-frame chassis with enough flex that its movement contributes as much to bump absorption and general ride quality as does the suspension – which is generally by leaf springs and lever-arm dampers.

Generally, you’ll find that spares are more difficult to come by for the majority of pre-war classic cars, but because manufacturing techniques were more basic, many parts can be replicated by an average machine shop today. There’s no injection-moulded plastic here.

There will be new disciplines to learn, particularly keeping rod- and cableoperated brakes finely adjusted, and staying on top of thermosyphon cooling systems. Engine rebuilds might involve working with white-metal bearings, which need to be scraped to achieve the correct tolerances, although many engines are converted to shell bearings when it is time to have them rebuilt.

If you’re looking at a pre-war car, do examine the chassis for cracks, rust and damage. If the body is timber-framed, try to look for rot (although much of it will be covered) or signs that the body is flexing too much due to weakened wood (cracks in the metalwork, for example). If it’s a fabric body, look for damage and cracks, which 94

‘So much you can do: trialling, sprints, racing, or just bumbling down to the pub’

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might indicate that the material has aged badly. Oil leaks from the engine and transmission are common – if they look serious, check with a marque expert. If provenance is important, try to establish whether the bodywork is original or a later addition or change, particularly with thoroughbreds such as Bentleys.

Perhaps because there’s more to learn with a pre-war car, the sense of community tends to be greater – and nowhere is that more obvious than in the Vintage SportsCar Club, with its many separate model registers and its brilliant meetings. If you’re not entirely sold yet, then head to the VSCC’s Prescott Speed Hill Climb event.

Take the family – that’s what it’s all about.

And if the car you’re interested in isn’t eligible for the VSCC (broadly pre-1931, but for certain models 1908-41), there are still plenty of supportive clubs and exciting events. There’s so much you can do with a pre-war car, whether it’s trialling up muddy hillsides, hillclimbing and sprints, racing, rallying or simply just bumbling down to the pub to meet fellow owners.

So take the pre-war classic car plunge. It really could be life-changing.

Pre-war fun from less than £5000 to... well, millions There are so many to choose from, but here are a few of our favourites from both ends of the price spectrum

Ford Model A The Austin Seven mobilised Britain, but it was Ford, with the go-anywhere Model T, that did the same for America. A Model T is an amazing but quirky thing, so we’d recommend going a bit later and opting for a Ford Model A or Model B. The former came with a 3.3-litre flathead (sidevalve) four-cylinder engine, although a few 2.0litres were made in the UK. The later Model B looks similar but has a flathead V8 so is more expensive. Model As start around £15,000.

Austin Seven

Buick Series 90

It seems incredible now, but families would cram into these little wonders with delight because previously their transport would likely have been bicycles or motorcycle-and-sidecar combinations.

They’re easy to work on, and prices start at £5000 for a good saloon, but the more desirable open models are much more – especially the sporty Ulsters. They’re also used in racing and trialling. On A-roads, you’ll wish for something bigger and more powerful, so read on...

How about something completely different? American cars of the 1920s and ’30s were big and extremely well engineered, providing a far more civilised driving experience than many of their European counterparts. This Buick Series 90 is typical of the genre, but you can find all manner of such cars, even a Stutz sedan, of the same era. Prices vary according to marque and bodystyle, but you should be able to find a good saloon from around £15,000-up.

Morris Eight

Bentley 4½ Litre

There’s an entire class of pre-war car that’s hugely overlooked and undervalued, of which the Morris Eight is typical – but think Ford Model Y, Standard, Wolseley and even early Citroën, Renault and the like. They’re a bit bigger than the Austin Seven, but equally easy to work on – although not as well catered for by specialists. As an example, a good Morris Eight Tourer, as pictured, would cost around £8000, while a later Series E saloon is cheapest at, typically, £5000.

This is the ultimate usable pre-war machine really. Sure, there are plenty more exotic and even more valuable, yet for sheer strength and power, it’s hard to beat a Bentley. The 4½ is arguably the best buy; many will have been fitted with a Le Mans replica body at some point, which is no bad thing but make sure the ash frame and the fabric covering are in decent condition. Just about every part is available, but a 4½ isn’t cheap; expect to pay £300,000 or more.

MG T-series

Vauxhall 30/98

The car every RAF fighter pilot hankered after, a T-series is great fun and right up there with Austin Sevens and Bentleys in terms of spares and expertise availability. The near-identical TA (above), TB and post-war (just) TC are the best looking, while the later TDs and TFs don’t have quite such classic style but are a little more usable.

The early T-series is probably the sweet spot of affordability and fun in the pre-war world, with good TAs starting at around £20,000.

Did we say it’s hard to beat a Bentley? “Hold my real ale,” says the Vauxhall 30/98. This was one of the sporting greats of the 1920s, and remains an exciting, satisfying car to own, developing between 90 and 115bhp. A good 30/98 costs a third less than an equivalent Bentley, but it doesn’t have such comprehensive specialist or parts back-up, or the same kudos. Prices for a good one start under a notinsignificant £200,000, with value mostly dependent on bodystyle.

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95

H AG E R T Y S TA F F CA R S

Putting on the miles Hagerty’s staff walk the walk as well as talk the talk – as these tales of their own classic cars prove

96

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John Mayhead 1946 MG TC Owned for: Three years Mileage: 68,000 Best driving road: A272, Winchester to Goodwood Best driving song: I’ll get back to you on that!

Dream car: Porsche 997 GT3 RS 4.0 First car: 1968 Volkswagen Beetle Favourite parents’ car: Ford Cortina MkV

Chris Frost 1997 Fiat Barchetta

I REALLY DIDN’T MEAN TO BUY MY 1946 MG TC. My back catalogue of classics were mainly Italian and German; I always told people that I didn’t understand the attraction of British sports cars.

But this one found me. A few years ago, I was researching Goldie, my biography of racer and record-breaker Goldie Gardner, and his name pinged up on a Google search linked to a car coming up for auction with which there was a stack of paperwork. As editor of the UK Hagerty Price Guide I work closely with the big auction houses, and so I contacted the company to ask if I could visit, hoping the paperwork might include new information on Gardner.

Sifting through a huge file of papers, I found a very detailed history and Goldie’s original buff logbook. The MG, one of the first new cars built at Abingdon after the war, had been given to him as a promo tool.

He had kept it for a few years, then sold it on; later it had been raced and hillclimbed.

The MG unexpectedly blew me away. It showed the scars of its life – something I love – and I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

After it failed to sell at auction, I put an offer in; a few days later it was mine. I then found numerous photos of it in Gardner’s albums in the National Motor Museum archive at Beaulieu. He’d used it to test run his first post-war speed-record routes in Italy and Belgium, and only sold it when, in 1948, he and MG had a disagreement that led to Jaguar temporarily sponsoring him.

At the 2023 Goodwood Revival, my car sat on the museum’s stand to publicise the launch of my book. It drew the attention of Barrie Cheeseman, whose father had owned and raced the car throughout the 1960s and early ’70s. I later visited Ken, and he showed me his father’s silver cups.

I still use it regularly throughout the year.

It is a driver’s car, and I’m not precious about it. I think Goldie would approve.

Owned for: Inherited in 2021 from my dad Mileage: 100,000km Best driving road: M6 north of Tebay Services when headed up to Scotland Best driving song: Impossible to pick one!

Dream car: Ferrari F12 TdF, Ferrari 458 Speciale or Ferrari 250 GT Berlinetta SWB First car: Fiat Seicento Sporting Abarth Favourite parents’ car: My dad had a lot of Rovers; I’ve got warm memories of his 620

‘It unexpectedly blew me away. It showed the scars of its life, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it’ HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

THE BARCHETTA’S A BIT OF A FAMILY heirloom – my dad bought it in 2008 having previously owned motorcycles. My parents used to ride to MotoGPs all over Europe, but mum said she was too old to get on the back of a bike, so my dad went on the hunt for an Italian sports car. Having decided against an Alfa Spider S4, he found the Barchetta not far from where we lived.

I love that it’s something different to the obvious, such as a Mazda MX-5. More than that, it has a lovely, revvy engine, looks great and causes some confusion thanks to it being left-hand drive. The fact it’s a two-seater makes life a little tricky when you’re a family of three, though.

As such it’s not seen a great deal of use over the past few years, but Gary – our local family friend and mechanic – has looked after it ever since my dad bought it.

It is great having someone nearby and trusted who knows the car so well.

Looking to the future, I would love to give it a respray – it’s a lovely colour, but it’s showing its age a little. If I had the budget I’d consider fitting a suspension upgrade, if it helped the ride and gave the car a small drop in ride height.

It’s a great car; if you fancy something different you should give one a try. You sit low, it revs well and because the speedo is in kilometres, it feels like you’re doing 100mph when you’re actually doing 100km/h.

97

R E A RV I E W M I R R O R

Growth and gratitude Welcome to the first UK edition of the HDC magazine, from company boss and committed classic car fan McKeel Hagerty

EVEN THOUGH THIS COLUMN IS AT the back, I will start at the beginning by welcoming you to the first UK edition of Hagerty Drivers Club (HDC) magazine.

You are going to love it. How do I know that? Because car lovers are the same everywhere. They want top-quality automotive journalism – and that is what the US version of HDC has delivered since way back in 2006. The magazine was small when it started, but today, with more than 850,000 subscribers and a total readership of about two million, it is the most widely 98

distributed car magazine in the States.

And with good reason. We are known worldwide for our classic car expertise, and that expertise includes the UK. In fact, Hagerty has been covering and taking part in the British car scene since 2006, when we opened our first office in the Silverstone Innovation Centre, on site at the famous Formula 1 motor circuit. We later moved to Pury Hill Business Park, before finally settling in last year at Bicester Heritage, which we view as a new centre of classic car activity. If you’re in the area, HAGERT Y DRIVERS CLUB

MCKEEL HAGERTY CEO and chairman

please stop in. We would love to see you.

We are proud to support the car community here with our top-quality insurance, of course. But there is far more to us than that. This year, we launched Hagerty Drivers Club in the UK, which provides many exclusive benefits (including this magazine) and events to help keep you entertained and connected to other enthusiasts. We all want to belong, after all.

Since 2012, we have published the UK Hagerty Price Guide, which has become the gold standard for buyers and sellers. This

year we proudly published our 37th edition, covering 2872 generations, each with four values – meaning we have updated nearly 300,000 values since the first one. Unlike any other price guide, the HPG is still manually compiled and edited so that we maintain an unbeatable quality.

Over the years we have come to know your favourite UK car events – because they are our favourites, too. We love the Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival, of course. Concours on Savile Row, too.

This year, we took over Huntsman the tailor, where we enjoyed seeing many of our automotive friends. Then there’s Salon Privé. Hagerty ambassador Nigel Matthews serves as chief judge, with Hagerty Price Guide editor John Mayhead as well as Jakob Greisen and Caroline Cassini (both senior car specialists for Hagerty’s Broad Arrow Auctions) also judging.

Personally, I have participated several times in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The first time did not go as planned. The 1904 Rambler I was driving broke down outside Westminster Abbey, only a mile in. That was in 2007. Twelve years later, I finally finished the 54-mile route atop a 1903 Knox, which is on display at our Bicester headquarters. Even though the Knox travels at a top speed of 41km/h (if it is going downhill and has a stiff tailwind), it was an honour and thrill to finish the world’s longest-running motoring event.

In recent years, Hagerty has joined in the fun by operating our own popular UK events. The Hagerty Hill Climb challenges an eclectic mix of cars to tackle historic Shelsley Walsh course annually. This year, our Hagerty Hangout at Bicester for International Women’s Day was nominated in the International Historic Motoring Awards. Fans of 1980s and ’90s cars love the annual RADwood, which took place this year at Chatham Historic Dockyard.

But the UK event for which Hagerty is probably best known is the Festival of the Unexceptional, now in its tenth year, which has become one of the most loved classic car shows in the country.

We are honoured and grateful for this chance to be an even bigger part of the UK car world. Until next time, keep on driving.

PS I would love to hear your thoughts on this first edition and what you want to see from the magazine going forward. Please drop me a line at mhagerty@hagerty.com.

INSURANCE TIPS

What you need to know about insuring a classic

SIOBHAN O’SULLIVAN Assistant manager

CLASSICS ARE MORE THAN SIMPLY VEHICLES; THEY’RE PIECES of history and a true passion. Often-appreciating values mean having the right insurance coverage is crucial. We explore what classic insurance is, how it differs from normal and what you should consider when selecting a policy.

What is classic vehicle insurance?

A specialised policy designed for vehicles of typically more than 20 years old, often restored or preserved in excellent condition. Unlike standard automotive insurance, which is based on current market value, classic insurance considers the vehicle’s historical significance, rarity and condition.

Key differences between classic vehicle and standard insurance Valuation: Classic policies often give agreed-value cover; the owner and insurer agree on a value, which is paid out in the event of a total loss.

Mileage limits: Reflecting the fact that classics are usually not daily drivers.

Storage requirements: Classics may have to be kept in a secured garage.

Specialised coverage options: Many classic policies offer extra coverage options, such as for spare parts or participation in shows and events.

Factors to consider when looking for insurance Value: Condition, rarity and market trends help determine an agreed value.

Usage: Consider how often you’ll drive the vehicle and for what purpose: purely socially or with some limited commuting.

Storage conditions: Secure garage storage may result in better policy rates.

Optional coverage: Cherished salvage, increased European driving etc.

Excesses: Compare excesses to balance premium costs and expenses.

Benefits: Comprehensive coverage: tailored to meet classic owners’ needs.

Peace of mind: Knowing your investment is protected against losses.

Restoration support: Many policies cover associated classic repair costs.

Conclusion Investing in classic insurance is essential. By understanding the nuances of these policies, and considering your specific needs, you can protect your cherished vehicle and enjoy your classic with confidence.

Siobhan started at Hagerty in 2020 as a client service advisor. She brings her expertise and love of classic vehicles to this issue’s insurance tip.

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