Out & About Summer 2021

Out&About motors

MOTORS

For everyone who went a bit lockdown crazy there has been an urge to get out and rediscover life. MAURICE HARDY says what better way than returning zoom to its former meaning - as in whistling round the country lanes in a soft top car

T he events of the last 18 months have meant that everyone in the classic car trade imagined that things would go dead, as did many in the world of motorhomes. But even now it’s hard to place an order for a new motorhome and see it delivered before 2022 while good used models have become as rare as hens’ teeth. In the classic car market, buyers were happy to buy on no more than an auc- tioneer’s or dealer’s video tour of the car, paying remotely and then having it delivered. Suppliers of classic car parts also reported record sales as restoration projects mouldering untended for years were revived. Lockdown may have awakened rose-tinted memories of those long-for- gotten days of family outings in the Ford Cortina, Morris Minor, or Austin Cambridge, instead of cold tea and fish paste sandwiches on a miserable day, with parents determined to get out. Maybe it’s your first sports car that inspires nostalgia. In the 60s it would have been a Sprite, Midget, Spitfire or possibly an MGB. But beware, a beloved MG can leave more holes in your financ- es than even the huge amount of them hidden in the bodywork. Take care when purchasing any classic and in particular soft tops, where the lack of a roof makes rust in the bottom half even more of an issue. Restored cars can be just as bad, depending on the quality of the work. You’ll want to see evidence, preferably supported by bills for the parts and labour plus a photographic record of what’s been done. Good news is that rotten MGBs and Midgets, along with original Minis, can acquire brand new bodyshells made by British Motor Heritage and no-one seems to mind this approach. Somehow a 1968 MBG with new bod- yshell and a later engine still remains a 1968 car in the eyes of the market. It makes as much sense as the genuine Roman axe with two new heads and three new handles.

The Jaguar E Type is the car that fires many imaginations; it celebrates its 60th anniversary this year

Affordable Italian brio from the Alfa Romeo Spider, still available for less than £3,000 Left, Ford’s Capri was “the car you always promised yourself” but prices are accelerating faster than most Capris ever could And remember that cars costing £60,000 or more when new (maybe £90,000 plus for today’s equivalent) still bring huge maintenance bills. Bargain examples are cheap because they’ve been through the poor maintenance period and suffered neglect. Popular models have had loads written about them and owners’ clubs are often the source of vital information as well as some of the best cars for sale and hard- to-find spares. Check the MoT history online – even cars exempt by age should still get one voluntarily so insist on one – before you travel to take a look and be realistic when you make an offer. No matter how good it looks, there will be something potentially expensive lurking underneath unless you are very lucky.

Later cars are now becoming classics because the market is largely driven by what stirs memories. Pre-war cars are falling behind because fewer current buyers remember them from their child- hood. Cars from the 70s disappeared in piles of high grade rust from low grade steel so now it’s the 80s, 90s, and 00s cars making the grade. Well-constructed convertibles are easy to find and it’s tempting to think that one of those coupe convertibles with a folding hard top is the best choice. But beware, because all those roof panels are joined by seals that age and leak. It’s far better to have a car with a fabric top because these only have a joint at the windscreen rail and flex with the car. Me? I’d rather have a hard top or maybe a 4x4, but these also bring their perils.

85

O&A SUMMER 2021