The white stuff: how milk floats are ready to deliver again in new ways
“You can get about £450 scrap, which is why a lot of floats got scrapped,” says Hall. “But first we always check the state of the batteries….
UK’s rarest cars: 1981 Talbot Avenger, one of only 25 left on British roads
It is sometimes a shock to realise the longevity of certain cars. A 1969 registration suffix always looks slightly odd on a last-of-the-line Jaguar 240, just as…
The car that seduced Roger Moore: Volvo P1800 at 60
The original sales brochure boasted that the P1800, with its 100hp (98.6bhp) engine and fully synchromesh-equipped gearbox, was a car which attracted attention through the “sheer beauty…
Fiat’s fabulous ‘cathedral of car production’ at Lingotto celebrated
While the system was very different to that employed in other car factories it was in fact entirely logical, with raw materials entering the factory on the…
UK’s rarest cars: 1969 Austin 3-Litre, one of only 52 left on British roads
During its lifetime and for a long time afterwards., the 3-Litre was an often-misunderstood vehicle. As the story goes, it was a prime example of how a…
The cars of ‘Peaky Blinders’
Polly Gray was played by the late Helen McCrory and her choice of wheels caused the production team some problems. “Tommy drove a Bentley and so Polly…
Camper van of choice in the Sixties and the stalwart of small businesses: the Bedford CA at 70
The Bedford CA was once a part of everyday life, on a par with listening to The Archers on the BBC Home Service. They served as delivery…
UK’s rarest cars: 1989 FSO Polonez, one of only 11 left on Britain’s roads
However, many potential buyers cared less for dynamic ability and more for the fact that for just £2,999 they could trade in their ageing Ford Escort Mk1…
UK’s rarest cars: 1977 Vauxhall Chevette, one of only 55 left on British roads
Compared with some of the other (almost extinct) cars in this series, 55 surviving Chevette family hatchbacks initially does not appear a low figure. However, Vauxhall produced…
UK’s rarest cars: 1983 Austin Ambassador, one of only 19 left on British roads
Reading the history of British Leyland is almost as dispiriting as being forced to watch Emmerdale on a perpetual loop. It is a saga of managerial incompetence,…
UK’s rarest cars: 1979 Renault 17 TS, one of only 31 left on British roads
In the Seventies, Renault marketed the 17 to British motorists as a cut above its Ford or General Motors rivals. The French company’s PR material implied it…
UK’s rarest cars: 1983 Triumph Acclaim L, one of only 12 left on British roads
When the Acclaim made its bow on 7 October 1981, certain automotive traditionalists regarded it as an interloper, a Japanese Honda bearing a true-Brit Triumph badge. There…
UK’s rarest cars: 1978 Chrysler Alpine S, one of only 13 left on British roads
Chris Salter’s eclectic collection of vehicles includes one of the most obscure Car of The Year contest winners. Strange, perhaps, but true: the Alpine defeated the BMW…
Revealed: The Queen’s favourite British cars – including a Vauxhall estate
The Queen’s enduring passion for driving throughout her 70-year reign has involved an unusual collection of (mostly) regal cars that trace the history of British motoring. Princess…
Death of a middle-class icon: the rise and fall of the Mercedes estate car
And of course, further forward, the passenger compartment offered the sort of unburstable solidity for which 1980s Mercedes have since become prized, paired – if you were…
UK’S rarest cars: 1981 Volkswagen Scirocco Storm Mk1, one of only 50 left on British roads
In 1976 VW unveiled the Scirocco GTI, powered by the same 1,588cc Bosch K-Jetronic fuel-injected engine found in its more famous Golf counterpart. Motor Sport raved it…
UK’s rarest cars: 1967 and 1969 BMW 2000 Neue Klasse, two of only 35 left on British roads
Some cars we have previously featured owe their rarity to age and/or banger racers. Others were models that never seemed to appeal to the British motorist, while…
Would you fit an expensive electric motor in a classic car?
What’s most impressive is the gentle, progressive power delivery and the way the major controls retain the original car’s weighting and ease of use. The brakes, for…
UK’s rarest cars: 1960 Panhard PL17, one of only eight left on British roads
When Panhard unveiled the Dyna Z in 1953, it would be fair to say it did not resemble any other vehicle. Jim Baumann often finds that his…
The ‘modern classic’ cars that inflation forgot – and how I accidentally bought one
I’d spent some time researching (and being suitably impressed by) these facts in the time between winning the car and picking it up. But what I hadn’t…
Online car auction site threatens ‘dinosaur’ rivals
Only about a tenth of buyers insist on viewing the cars before purchase, and they are typically older bidders more used to physical auctions and dealers’ showrooms….
14 cars from the Eighties now considered classic – including the Ford Sierra
The range grew to encompass a convertible and Touring estate, along with the ultra-desirable M3. It was produced until 1994 but many fell into neglect so you’ll…
UK’s rarest cars: 1992 Peugeot 405 GTX, one of only 41 left on British roads
It is almost impossible to believe the 405 is now 34 years old. While some of its rivals now appear as dated as a Duran Duran CD,…
‘Z Cars’ star Brian Blessed recalls 60 years of the TV crime drama
One of the inspirations for Z Cars was when Kennedy Martin “was lying, annoyingly ill, in 1961, monitoring police messages to pass the time and occasionally coming…
The 5 best classic cars to buy in 2022 for less than £2,000
Prices of the classic Volvo 240 are now well and truly on the rise, but buyers haven’t cottoned on to its successor, the 740, in quite the…