Category: Classic Cars

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MORGAN PLUS 8

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1972 Morgan Plus 8

The Morgan Plus 8 was first launched in 1968. It retained the basic classic sports car shape used on the first four-wheel Morgan introduced in 1936 and similar chassis and suspension. This Z-section ladder chassis with a suspension comprising coil springs at the front and a solid axle on semi-elliptic springs at the rear dated back to the original 1910 Morgan. However, it had a new Rover V8 overhead valve engine which gave it sparkling performance. When Rover adopted the 3.5-litre, small block, all-alloy Buick V8 engine for use in… Read more

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PONTIAC GTO

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1967 Pontiac GTO

The US muscle car craze was started by Pontiac when John DeLorean conceived the idea of putting the largest engine that Pontiac produced, the 7.45-litre V8 used in the large Grand Prix model, into the body of the smaller compact Tempest sedan. A compact car with this much power was considered by DeLorean to be just the thing to attract the young buyer in the early 1960s since Pontiac was losing market share and their model range was being perceived as most suitable for older drivers. The Pontiac GTO was… Read more

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JENSEN FF

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After joining the West Bromwich coachbuilding firm of W J Smith & Co in 1930, brothers Allan and Richard Jensen designed sports bodies for modified Standard, Wolseley and Ford chassis. Soon the brothers took charge of the firm, which in 1934 became Jensen Motors, a producer of sports cars based on Ford components. Several Jensen 3.0-litre cars we exported to the USA and one of these was ordered by Clark Gable in 1936. Their S series of 1937, powered by a 3.6-litre Ford V8, incorporated the American-built Columbia dual ratio… Read more

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FJ HOLDEN

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1953 FJ Holden

The FJ Holden was launched in October 1953, and although not the first Holden but an updated version of a car that was nearly five years old it has become the icon of Australia in the 50s and 60s. The FJ introduced the long-running Holden policy of facelifting. No glassware or external sheet metal was changed, the main styling changes being a new grille, different hubcaps and bumper bars and more chrome on the body. Few changes were made to the mechanics; both engine and gearbox from the 48-215 were… Read more

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FORD MODEL Y

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Whilst the Ford Model T established Ford as a dominant marque in America the Ford Model Y was the single model which launched Ford-UK on its way to market leadership. This was Ford’s first really small car that, due to its cheap price, allowed it to open up Ford motoring to the masses. Before the 1930s, Ford-UK business was devoted to the assembly of American models such as the Model T and Model A. With the onset of the Depression in Europe Ford needed something smaller, cheaper and produced locally… Read more

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PORSCHE 911 TYPE 993 PINNACLE OF THE AIR-COOLED ERA

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1994, 911 Carrera Coupé, Type 993

By PORSCHE MEDIA On 27 November (28 November, Australian time), the eighth generation of the Porsche 911 will celebrate its world premiere in Los Angeles – 55 years after the debut of the original 911 model. This is reason enough to take a look back at the previous seven generations. One thing is certain, and not just for fans of sports cars from Zuffenhausen: the fourth generation of the 911 – the 993 – is one of the most desirable editions in the history of this classic vehicle. Although practically… Read more

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HOLDEN HG

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In July 1970 Holden released the model HG, a slightly restyled version of the HT. The HG range comprised 13 models including sedans, wagons, panel vans and utilities. It was the first Holden model launch to include the commercial vehicle range and showed that GMH, having previously concentrated on increasing production output, had now expanded their design and development group to the point where they could cope with a much increased workload. With previous model releases it was several months later that the new commercial range saw the light of… Read more

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TRIUMPH TR6

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Car manufacturers don’t really set out to make bad quality cars, but the 1970s were notorious for cars with serious defects. The Triumph TR6 was one of the numerous makes that embodied serious defects due to shoddy quality control. The Triumph TR1s, TR2s and TR3s of the 1950s and 1960s were great little sports cars and even though they required the occasional bonnet lift to fix their odd little quirks, this was accepted and even considered part of the fun of owning a sports car at the time. As British… Read more

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ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE

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1977 Aston Martin V8 Vantage

Exuding style, the 1977 Aston Martin Vantage was a beautifully finished car. Inside everything smacked of luxury. It was a big car and inside there seemed to be acres of deep, wool pile carpet all leather edged. Although promoted as a sportscar the sumptuous 2+2 leather seats and interior body trim seemed more appropriate in a limousine, as did the burr walnut door cappings and dashboard. Under the bonnet, four cam covers and a large air intake topped an all-alloy 5.4-litre V8 four overhead cam engine capable of developing 280kW… Read more

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ROVER P6 2000

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1971 Rover P6 2000

Early model Rovers, like many other prestige cars, were usually looked on as being very staid and suited only to elderly, grey-templed drivers rather like the early Volvo image. The Rover 2000-P6, introduced in 1963, was the first young man’s Rover. It was packed with new technology and was ideal for the young executive on the go who wanted big-car ambience with sportscar manners in a more compact car. The Rover 2000 was a 160 km/h saloon, perfectly suited to the motorway age. This was a crisp, restrained car, modern… Read more