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Heaven scent: Obliterating odours inside the car

**FANTASY FORECOURT**  
As yet undetected by the collector, these exotic gems are sure to spice up your life

  
  
**Aston Martin DB7 i6 Volante**  
_COST NEW £78,500_  
_VALUE NOW_ _£17,000-£29,000_  
**ENGINE** 3236cc/6-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 335bhp@5500rpm  
**TORQUE** 360lb ft@3000rpm  
**STEERING** Rack and pinion  
**SUSPENSION** Front and rear: independent, double wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar (longitudinal control arms at rear)  
**BRAKES** Ventilated servo-assisted discs all round  
**TOP SPEED** 165mph  
**0-60MPH** 5.8sec  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 20mpg  
**WEIGHT** 1725kg  
**Fiat Coupé 16v Turbo**  
_COST NEW £19,249_  
_VALUE NOW_ _£1500-£6750_  
**ENGINE** 1995cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 195bhp@5500rpm  
**TORQUE** 218lb ft@3400rpm  
**SUSPENSION** Front: independent by MacPherson struts, lower wishbones, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: independent by trailing arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar  
**BRAKES** Ventilated discs, servo/ ABS  
**TOP SPEED** 140mph  
**0-60MPH** 6.8sec  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 18mpg  
**WEIGHT** 1320kg  
**Lotus Esprit**  
_COST NEW £22,950_  
_VALUE NOW_ _£8750-£22,000_  
**ENGINE** 2174cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 172bhp@6500rpm  
**TORQUE** 160lb ft@5000rpm  
**SUSPENSION** Front: independent by upper wishbones, lower transverse links, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: independent by upper and lower transverse links, radius arms, coil springs, telescopic dampers  
**BRAKES** Discs all round, servo  
**TOP SPEED** 138mph  
**0-60MPH** 6.5sec  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 26mpg  
**WEIGHT** 1268kg  
**Renault GTA**  
_COST NEW_ _£19,800_  
_VALUE NOW_ _£4000-£10,500_  
**ENGINE** 2649cc/6-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 160bhp@5750rpm  
**TORQUE** 221lb ft@3500rpm  
**SUSPENSION** Front and rear:double wishbone, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar  
**BRAKES** Ventilated servo-assisted discs all round  
**TOP SPEED** 146mph  
**0-62MPH** 8sec  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 27mpg  
**WEIGHT** 1140kg  
**BMW E36 325i Cabriolet**  
_COST NEW £28,250_  
_VALUE NOW_ _£1200-£4000_  
**ENGINE** 2494cc/6-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 192bhp@5900rpm  
**TORQUE** 181lb ft@4200rpm  
**SUSPENSION** Front: independent by semi-trailing arm, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar. Rear: independent ‘Z-axle’ multilink, coil springs, telescopic dampers and anti-roll bar  
**BRAKES** Discs all round (ventilated at front) with ABS  
**TOP SPEED** 140mph  
**0-62MPH** 8.6sec  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 32mpg  
**WEIGHT** 1450kg  
It pays to watch what collectors are snapping up as they’re usually so distracted at the idea of a profit, it allows the rest of us a chance at spotting those hidden gems. Take the Lotus Esprit, for instance. While early models are highly prized, the purity of Peter Steven’s 1987 facelift gets overlooked. BMW’s E30 is top dog for many, despite the E36 325i’s vast array of talents – proof there’s more to this 3 Series than just the M3. Fast Fiats have always been in the shadow of cousins from Lancia and Alfa Romeo, yet the Coupé is more Pininfarina than Fiat – the Italian design house responsible for design and build. Speaking of style… while the V12 Aston Martin Vantage is the one everyone wants, the straight-six DB7 is often overlooked, despite those looks and impeccable road manners. Finally, amid the obsession with Italian or German sports cars, the Alpine combines both speed and comfort better than a Ferrari and will always stand out more than a Porsche at the local show. But which to choose?

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Overlooked luminaries

GROUP TEST  
Thirty years ago the MGF was born into a rejuvenated sports car market. But how does it stack up today?  
**WORDS** MATT TOMKINS & CRAIG CHEETHAM **PHOTOGRAPHY** JONATHAN JACOB & MAGIC CAR PICS

  
**T**he year is 1995, and the MGF has just been unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show. The new mid-engined sports car from MG tickles your fancy, but there are other mid-engine contenders for your cash. The supreme second-generation Toyota MR2 has already been hoovering up sales for the last five years, while Lotus has just announced its Elise will be in showrooms in the new year – albeit with a chunkier price tag than the MGF.  
Three decades on, **Practical Classics** have gathered together these mid-engined marvels for a rematch. While they were at different price points back then, and continue to be so nowadays, all three continue to represent great value, and all are supported by a wealth of clubs, enthusiasts and specialists making the choice, arguably, even more difficult now than it was in 1995. Which will win our hearts in 2025?  
**MGF**  
From its inception, and throughout its development, the MGF was designed as a budget everyday sports car. As I tackle the combination of twisty, bumpy B-roads, A1 corridor and town centre roundabouts en route to our shoot, I’m minded to declare that the team, despite its meagre £40million budget, got it spot on. This is a car I’ve been working on for the past six months, as we here at **PC** celebrate 30 years since this marvel’s launch, and to be enjoying the fruits of those labours is a joy. Not only is it comfortable thanks to the clever front/rear interconnected Hydragas suspension, but the combination of that composure and quality rubber at each corner inspires confidence. With just over a tonne of mass distributed 45:55 front to rear, the ’F offers a disproportionate level of excitement as each bend is dispatched thanks to the K-series’s readiness to rev, even if this non-VVC 1.8i possesses only a modest 120bhp.

A mere peek at that peppy K-series.  
Well supported by both clubs and specialists, there’s little standing in the way of a pleasant ownership experience in 2025. The MGF’s reputation for head gasket-related misery may have kept these cars in bargain basement territory for far too long, but as MG expert Roger Parker attests, ‘Any K-series engined car that has survived until today has long since gone past the perception of regular head gasket failure. Now the frequency is no more than any competitor engine and any ’F will probably have already had one head gasket repair in its lifetime – probably more if the first wasn’t done properly, which many weren’t.’  
That famously fragile cooling system, however, remains worthy of note. Although perfectly effective when in good order, it has little in reserve and the consequences of overheating, particularly due to coolant loss, can cause irreparable engine damage. Front to rear cooling pipes are made from mild steel, so corrode, which can result in catastrophic coolant loss. So too can valves meet pistons should the belts not be replaced every 60,000 miles or five years. It’s essential, then, when buying that you get to grips with the paperwork as much as you do the bodywork. Stainless steel coolant pipes can be bought to replace the mild steel originals – a worthwhile upgrade – while the water pump should always be replaced at the same time as the cam belt. Any ‘mayonnaise’ emulsion on the dip stick could denote coolant mixing with the oil. Steer clear.  
Bounce each corner of the car and ensure the Hydragas is compliant. If it’s been re-gassed, it should bounce beautifully. Overly stiff or sagging suspension screams that it’s been pumped up with fresh fluid, therefore displacing the lost nitrogen. Inspect the body for crash damage and subframes for corrosion – they were made down to a price and based on Rover 100 items, so can corrode catastrophically if left untreated.

A fighting-fit ’F is a joy to drive, as a well-tickled Matt will attest.  
  
**I OWN ONE** MATT TOMKINS  
The MGF was available with a choice of 1.6, 1.8i and 1.8 VVC engines. I’ve now owned all three, and this is my pick of the bunch, balancing ample power with elegant simplicity. My biggest issue, however, is the R8-derived seats and offset-to-the-left steering wheel that restrict movement for my left leg. Oh, and it could really do with a sports exhaust to really give me the ‘fizz’.

Matt’s non-VVC 1.8i is his favourite ’F so far.  
  
**MGF HISTORY FILE**  
**CRAIG CHEETHAM**  
There had been talk of a new MG sports car ever since the last MGB rolled off the Abingdon production line in 1981, after an astonishing 19-year run. The factory may have closed down, but the brand survived; Austin-Rover keeping the famous octagonal logo on life support, attached to Austin hatchbacks and saloons with red seatbelts.  
After several false starts, the MGF was developed on an extremely tight budget after Rover Group’s marketing team persuaded senior management that reviving the idea of an MG sports car was a great idea.  
It was a concept that won the immediate buy-in of engineers and designers, who loved the idea of working on a third car as part of its ‘Portfolio’ model regeneration for 1995, alongside the Rover ‘R3’ 200 and ‘HH-R’ 400.  
Denis Chick, who was Product Communications Director for Rover Group at the time, recalls the background: ‘A new and “proper” MG sports car had been in discussion since the demise of the Midget and ’B, so when (chief engineer) Nick Fell pulled together a small team with a tight budget to produce a new one, we held our breath,’ Denis told us.  
‘Could we afford it, would it live up to the brand values so carefully honed for 70 years, would it really handle? The answer was to innovate, turning a Metro subframe back to front for example, and make the very best use of the Rover Group parts bin. The result was a car that was nimble, powerful and looked ‘MG’, but contemporary with its mid-engined configuration.’  
The uprated 1.8 K-series was a godsend. The development team shamelessly cribbed it from Land Rover, which had been given the budget to develop it for the still-secret Freelander. Rover’s engineers, meanwhile, developed a new cylinder head with variable valve timing – creating the 148bhp ‘VVC’ unit – making the MGF genuinely exciting in its most powerful form.  
It spent seven years on sale before being replaced by the coil-sprung TF and was the UK’s best-selling sports car for the entirety of its life. The amount of love for the MGF at its recent 30th birthday party proves it’s one of the most popular Nineties classics – and so it should be!

MG’s approach was innovative and brave – and the results can still be savoured 30 years later.  
  
1999 MGF 1.8i  
**Engine** 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC  
**Power** 118bhp@5500rpm  
**Torque** 122lb ft@3000rpm  
**Gearbox** 5-speed manual  
**Top speed** 119mph  
**0-60mph** 9.3sec  
**Fuel economy** 38.3mpg  
**Price new** £17,995  
  
**Toyota MR2**

Unusually, T-Bar version is more rigid than the coupé.  
  
**I OWN ONE** TONY OLDFIELD  
They made 250 of these limited editions to celebrate 10 years of the MR2. I’ve owned number 202 for three years but also own another I’ve had for 23! I love the way they drive, and think it’s one of the best-looking cars out there. I always get people stopping to chat about the car. It’s a great ownership experience.  
Stepping from the MGF and into the larger MR2, I’m hit with a sense that this is a car built for grown ups. Sliding into those bucket seats that, though firm, cradle both driver and passenger securely, the cabin’s compact size belies a spacious feel for a two-seater. The MR2 immediately feels like a quality car, too, and one that has been screwed together properly. Turn the key and there’s a growl from behind. Feedback from both engine and suspension immediately proves positive, and with the glazing removed from the T-top, there’s little obtrusion from above, even if it lacks the totally open-air feel of the others here.  
‘The Toyota MR2 immediately feels like a quality car’

Yamaha chipped in with revvy know-how.  
Our test car is a 10-year anniversary special edition 2.0 GTi 16, boasting 173bhp, and boy does it show. Although not a rocketship – it’s the heaviest car here – the progressive power throughout the rev range means it’s a joy to wield. The road is greasy and I’m all too aware of the car’s reputation for snap oversteer, so keep well short of the limits of grip. That’s not to say that I’m pootling. The combination of the car’s taught, stiff body and excellent balance mean turn-in is sharp and predictable, and the ability to feed power so smoothly allows my confidence to build rapidly.

The last MR2 generation to boast pop-up headlights.  
This car feels taught, but others may not be so lucky. Knocks and clonks from the suspension are a sure sign that the bushes have deteriorated, so it pays to check the history file to find out if polyurethane items have been fitted in the original rubber bushes’ place. It’s a worthwhile upgrade and should be well within the scope of a DIYer to carry out over a weekend or two. Then there’s the Toyota’s Achilles’ heel: corrosion. Badly rotted bodies, or those with bodged ‘MOT repairs’ will lose the stiffness for which the car was lauded at launch. Foam sound dampeners in the rear sills trap moisture, often leading to hidden corrosion. They’re often (and best) removed during a pre-emptive inspection and rust-proofing session, if it’s not too late. Check wheel arches too, inner and outer, as these are yet another hotspot for rot, while underneath, suspension stiffening brackets can rust rapidly, although aftermarket stainless replacements are available.

Still has rear boot space – just not for ice cream!  
Find out if the cam belt has been changed recently – it should be done every 60,000 miles, but can be a fiddle due to access limitations. As always, it’s worth finding out what’s been done by a previous owner before going to view a car. It can tell you a lot about how it’s been cared for, and what restorative works may be required.

Seats hug you like a good sports car’s should.  
  
**TOYOTA MR2 HISTORY FILE**  
**CRAIG CHEETHAM**  
There was a good reason why the Toyota MR2 ‘SW20’ looked like a mini Ferrari – its designer, Kazutoshi Arima, wanted to make it look like a scaled-down supercar. The MR2’s mid-engined, rwd layout suited that aesthetic and Arima pulled it off, creating one of the best-looking cars of the Nineties. The SW20 received a rapturous reception when it debuted late in 1989.  
It also had a chassis that, while tricky on the limit, endowed it with pin-sharp steering. It enjoyed a 10-year production run, with only minor visible changes, most notably to the rear end styling in 1994. The first cars, introduced in 1990, came with a 2.0-litre engine developing 119bhp in standard tune or 158bhp in the flagship ‘GT’ model , the latter of which could also be ordered with a T-Bar roof. Unlike most convertibles, this was largely considered better than the coupes, because the additional bracing bars in the front and under the engine bay cover gave the car more torsional rigidity.  
After a year on sale, some minor revisions were made – the 1991 car is known among enthusiasts as the Revision 2, or Rev 2 for short. Larger 15-inch wheels give it away, fitted to accommodate bigger brakes. It was replaced by Rev 3 in 1994 – lower bodywork was now body-coloured and a much larger boot spoiler was added.  
Late 1995’s Rev 4 got clear indicator lenses, improved specification and new switchgear. The final model, the 1998 Rev 5, introduced a new version of the 3S-GE engine, with Variable-Valve Timing to develop almost 200bhp, with no notable impact on its already good fuel consumption.

The most fun you can have sat underneath a bar?  
  
1996 Toyota MR2 2.0 GTi 16  
**Engine** 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHC  
**Power** 173bhp@7000rpm  
**Torque** 137lb ft@4800rpm  
**Gearbox** 5-speed manual  
**Top speed** 133mph  
**0-60mph** 8.2sec  
**Fuel economy** 36.2mpg  
**Price new** £22,597  
  
**Lotus Elise**

Designer Julian Thomson was inspired by the Ferrari Dino.  
Where the MR2 channels the comfort of a grand tourer, with leather, wood and a decent stereo, the Elise as about as basic as it gets, with the Chapman ‘just add lightness’ ethos clearly evident. Lowering oneself into the low-slung seat, perched on the floor inches below the high, stiff sill line could not be a more different experience to the MR2’s ingress experience. Egress is even less elegant. The cabin in sparse and snug, but I’m not longing for a radio or even carpets. To butcher a quote by Leslie Nielsen, it’s an entirely different kind of driving, altogether…

One of motoring’s great experiences. If you fit!  
Our Lotus Elise may have the same mid-mounted 1.8-litre K-series engine as the MGF, but where the MGF was designed as a budget, everyday sports car, the Elise has been engineered for speed, lightness and apex-clipping. A track car for the road, the interior is sparse, driving position low slung and the roof requires the recollection of some boy scout tent-pitching techniques, but fire up the engine and the experience is immediately visceral. A glassfibre amphitheatre behind the driver’s ears amplifies the induction roar and exhaust bark, and as the revs rise it’s immediately obvious you’re sitting somewhere special.

‘Only’ 118bhp, but still good for 0-60 in 6.1sec  
Over a couple of speed bumps as we exit the car park where we’ve met for the day, my spine longs for the MGF’s Hydragas, however on the open road I’m pleasantly surprised by the Elise’s compliance. The lightness of that stiff, composite body and epoxy-bonded aluminium spaceframe allows the car to fly, and the aftermarket induction kit on this example provides an addictive roar under the right foot. This is a proper sports car, one where the driver is truly at one with the machine. I find myself focused, looking ahead and planning the next corner as if on a circuit, delighting in swapping cogs and hearing the exhaust bark from behind me. It’s a car that flatters, with handling truly out of this world on smoother surfaces.  
Although it’s a little twitchy over bumps, the steering is so responsive that it doesn’t take much of an input to put you back on course.

‘Staggered’ wheel setup: 15in front, 16 rear  
I know, however, that if I push to hard, it will be me, not the car, which seals our fate. Many an Elise has flattered a driver who has subsequently run out of talent. That’s why it’s worth getting any prospective in the air, removing undertrays and inspecting the aluminium chassis carefully. New chassis are almost impossible to find, and Lotus says that they can’t be repaired, but specialists can normally fix them if things aren’t too serious. Remember that these are cars often driven hard on track, so an HPI check may not reveal everything, because fixes may have been carried out outside of an insurance claim.  
The same engine checks as the MGF apply here, look for signs of head gasket failure and note that cam belts should be changed every 60k. That composite bodywork might not rust, but it can be prone to picking up stone chips and be tricky to repair. Check too for any signs of abrasion from gravel traps or armco – or evidence of shoddy glassfibre repair work. Front and rear clam shells are available, but cost £1000+ for each end.

Matt happily becomes one with the Elise.  
  
**LOTUS ELISE HISTORY FILE**  
**CRAIG CHEETHAM**  
There’s always been something adorable about a small Lotus. After all, it’s how the brand began back with the Seven, while the original Elan was one of the finest sports cars of the Sixties and Seventies. The Elise expanded on that somewhat, taking founder Colin Chapman’s mantra of ‘simplify, and add lightness’ very much under its wing – something the previous front-wheel-drive M100 Elan had drifted away from.  
The Elise wouldn’t have existed had it not been for the most unlikely of saviours – Swiss businessman and petrolhead, Romano Artioli, who also owned Bugatti. He bought Lotus from struggling General Motors in 1993, and his vision was to create a new, accessible entry level into the company’s line-up, where for a relatively modest premium over the likes of an MGF or Mazda MX-5, driving enthusiasts could have a sports car with slightly more prestige.  
It used a glassfibre body sitting on an extruded aluminium spaceframe, which made it incredibly light – at just 725kg, it weighed only marginally more than the original Mini. It was rear-wheel drive, with the engine (a 1.8-litre Rover K-series) mid-mounted for optimal weight distribution. It was called the Elise after Romano Artioli’s daughter, but when Bugatti suffered huge losses, he ended up selling Lotus to Malaysian manufacturer Proton just weeks before the Elise made its debut.  
It was a truly fantastic car to drive, with incredible grip and amazing steering, while its featherweight construction meant that it was remarkably quick, despite its modest power output form the standard 118bhp Rover engine, the same as an MGF 1.8i , but capable of 0-60mph in just 5.8 seconds.  
As well as the standard 118bhp Elise, a faster model, called the 111S (named after the Elise being the 111th Lotus model) appeared, using the 143bhp VVC engine found in the MGF VVC, which gave it a 0-60 time of 5.0 seconds.  
An S2 model came along in 2000, after Lotus formed a partnership with former owner GM to improve its crash structure (a move that also gave us the Vauxhall VX220 in return), while later models built from 2005-2011 had a Toyota engine in place of the K-Series, following the MG Rover collapse.  
  
**I OWN ONE** IVAN TANG  
I bought this car in 2021, but only got to see it for the first time in May this year, after moving to the UK. I love the looks, particularly in the titanium colour.  
It’s pure, with no creature comforts. no cup holder, sun visor, or anything, just the car and the driver. The original Koni dampers were shot, so I’ve fitted a set of Bilsteins and it has an aftermarket induction kit, which sounds great!

Ivan’s Elise has proved well worth the wait!  
  
1999 Lotus Elise 1.8i  
**Engine** 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC  
**Power** 118bhp@5500rpm  
**Torque** 122lb ft@3000rom  
**Gearbox** 5-speed manual  
**Top speed** 126mph  
**0-60mph** 6.1sec  
**Fuel economy** 39.4mpg  
**Price new** £21,125  
  
**THE PC CONCLUSION…**  
Of the three cars here, the MGF undoubtedly represents the best value in 2025. It’s quick enough, comfortable, practical and – with sorted suspension and good tyres – handles beautifully. The MR2 wins hands down on practicality, two huge boots offering plenty of space for luggage – good job too as it’s the pick of the bunch for long-distance touring. The Elise is the dream car, astonishingly good looking and it sets the benchmark for handling. It’s simple, too, with those shared mechanicals and very little internally to go wrong. But is it too compromised to be able to truly enjoy it for more than just a few days a year? When it comes to sheer bang-for-buck and sheer usability, as its makers intended, the absurdly undervalued MGF has to take the top-spot this time. Happy birthday, MGF!  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**CLUBS** **MGCC MGF Register,** :a[mgfregister.org]{href='https://mgfregister.org' }  
**MGOC,** :a[mgownersclub.co.uk]{href='https://mgownersclub.co.uk' }  
**SPECIALISTS** **MGOC Spares**, :a[mgocspares.co.uk]{href='https://mgocspares.co.uk' }  
**Rimmer Bros,** :a[rimmerbros.com]{href='https://rimmerbros.com' }  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**CLUBS** **MR2 Drivers’ Club,** :a[mr2dc.com]{href='https://mr2dc.com' }  
**SPECIALISTS** **MR2-BEN,** 07940572209, :a[mr2-ben.co.uk]{href='https://mr2-ben.co.uk' }  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**CLUBS**  
**Club Lotus,** :a[clublotus.co.uk]{href='https://clublotus.co.uk' }  
**Lotus Drivers’ Club,** :a[lotusdriversclub.org.uk]{href='https://lotusdriversclub.org.uk' }  
**SPECIALISTS**  
**Elise Parts,** :a[eliseparts.com]{href='https://eliseparts.com' }  
**Lakeside Engineering,** :a[lakesideengineering.com]{href='https://lakesideengineering.com' }  
**Max500 Ltd.,** :a[max500.com]{href='https://max500.com' }  
**PJS Classic and Race Cars,** :a[pjslotus.co.uk]{href='https://pjslotus.co.uk' }  
**QED Motorsport,** :a[qedmotorsport.co.uk]{href='https://qedmotorsport.co.uk' }  
  
THE ALTERNATIVES  
**MAZDA MX-5**

  
What would you have picked if, in 1995, you were angling for some topless two-seater fun? For the first time in ages the choice was wide and varied. If none of the three midengined motors we chose tickled your fancy, here are a few frontengined alternatives to tempt you – all of which are relatively affordable 30 years on.  
The MX-5 was the car that kicked off the Nineties sports car boom. Created in the vison of the original Sixties Lotus Elan and unashamedly similar in appearance, the baby Mazda had a lively twin-cam engine, wonderfully snappy gearshift and fantastic handling. It reinvigorated the UK’s love for sports cars and became an enduring legend.  
All MX-5s are wonderful cars to drive, but the MkI and MkIIs are the purest and arguably the most exciting. Watch out for rust, though. They’re mechanically robust, but rot can sneak in just about anywhere and, once it gets a hold, can quickly become terminal. It pays to buy the best you can afford, and keep it properly protected once you do.  
  
**MERCEDES-BENZ SLK**

  
Previewed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1995, but not revealed in production form until the Turin show six months later, the SLK was a sports car that brought with it a new innovation. It’s power folding hardtop VarioRoof would set the precedent for a plethora of electric folding hardtops to follow, from its luxurious sister, the SL, to budget choices such as the Daihatsu Copen. It’s fair to say it was a true innovator.  
It was cool, too – its mini-SL styling and a fascinating engine range that included supercharged four-cylinder units and a super-smooth 3.2-litre V6 gave it massive showroom appeal, leading to a long waiting list when new.  
Mechanically, SLKs are pretty tough, but early cars suffered very badly from bodywork issues, as a result of moisture penetrating the water-based paint. Later examples are better but all can rust, especially around the front wings and lower body seams.  
A good SLK, though, is a great modern-classic sports car.  
  
**FIAT BARCHETTA**

  
Smaller and lighter than its rivals here by virtue of being built on the platform of the Fiat Punto, as opposed to the Tipo Due chassis of the Alfa Spider, the Barchetta brought back a name from Fiat’s past.  
It was a delicately styled and hugely rewarding-to-drive two-seater, built on Fiat’s behalf by coachbuilder Maggiora in Turin. It was never produced in the same volumes as its key rivals due to being hand-finished, and was only ever offered in left-hand-drive. UK imports were always in relatively low volumes. But those who bought one loved it, while the ‘scissor handle’ door levers were an art form in themselves.  
The 1.8-litre engine, as found in the Punto Abarth, was also well-liked, and gave great performance in such a lightweight model. The Barchetta is a rare, unusual choice of modern classic roadster today, as well as one that’s an absolute joy to drive.  
  
**BMW Z3**

  
The Z3 almost meant that the MGF never appeared, after the German firm took over the helm at Rover Group while the new MG was in its final stages of development. So, too, was its own sports car, and luckily the decision was made to keep both. The BMW Z3 had been on the drawing board since 1991, a two-seater sports car developed off the E36 3 Series platform, and to be built in a new factory in the USA.  
Like the MGF, it was rear-wheel drive but it had the engine in the front. While the six-cylinder models that were a lot more powerful (and consequently more expensive) than the ’F, there was also an entry-level with an 1895cc, 1.9-litre twin-cam four-pot developing 138bhp. A slight power advantage over the MG, offset by the BMW’s greater weight, which actually made it a bit slower off the mark. Nevertheless, it was an attractive proposition, with handsome styling by Japanese designer Joji Nagashima.  
  
**ALFA ROMEO 916 SPIDER**

  
The Alfa Romeo 916 Spider was first seen in 1993, but it wasn’t until April 1995 that it went into production. The first right-hand-drive Spiders arrived four months later, weeks before the MGF. Mechanically, it was different to its rivals. It was built on a shortened version of Fiat’s ‘Tipo Due’ compact platform, which underpinned everythng from the Fiat Tipo to the Alfa Romeo 155. This meant it was front-engined and front-wheel-drive, to the dismay of purists.  
Nobody sniffed about what was under the bonnet, though; the two engine choices were sublime. There was a V6 for the premium market – the classic 3.0 Alfa Romeo ‘Busso’– but, for those on a tighter budget, there was also a 2.0-litre Twin Spark four-pot, which used two plugs per cylinder to aid responsiveness. The 150bhp unit also sounded fantastic. Then there was the styling, which is something Alfa rarely gets wrong and certainly didn’t on this occasion.  
  
**HONDA CRX DEL SOL**

  
The second Honda CRX to be sold in the UK, from 1992 to 1998, was a very different car to the two-door coupé that preceded it, the Del Sol monicker referring to its removable targa top panels that allowed for open-top motoring.  
Its appearance echoed that of the mid-engined models that were fashionable at the time, but under the skin there was nothing mid-engined about it. It used the platform of the contemporary civic, powered at first by Hinda’s D15 1.5-litre engine and then later by the twin cam D16 1.6-litre unit, both of which were lively yet frugal and came with VTEC variable valve timing, meaning peak power didn’t arrive until after 6000rpm. As well as the striking looks, the Del Sol was also well-equipped, with cruise control as standard on most models.  
Today, they’re rare because UK models were badly affected by rust – most survivors are Japanese imports known as Del Sol, without the CRX.

Mid-engined marvels

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In the October edition of Practical Classics, we mark 30 years of the MGF with a look at its mid-engine Nineties counterparts, there’s a celebration of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s record-breaking achievements with Blue Bird at Pendine and a head-to-head battle between a Ford Granada and Volvo 740.

At the workshop, we’re looking at ways of preventing overheating, battling strange odours, and re-using windscreen surrounds, while our writers showcase their projects – from Triumph 2000 to Wartburg and a Morris Minor police car.

Meanwhile, in-depth guides to buying a Triumph TR3 and BMW 3-series, and we meet the restorers who’ve revived a Triumph Spitfire and a Rover P5 hearse!

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**TEAM ADVENTURE**  
Both failure and success lead Steph to the Le Mans Classic

**WORDS** STEPH HOLLOWAY **PHOTOGRAPHY** JESSE BILLINGTON & JAMES WALSHE

  
**W**ell, I did try, but sadly at the last possible moment it was horribly clear I wouldn’t be taking my new Morris Minor Convertible to the Le Mans Classic this time. Years of reading heroic adventure tales, road trips and rescues in PC had me filled with a confidence I could get my recent purchase to the famous French festival of high-speed insanity. Perhaps you only get so much luck, because I’d done it before with my knackered Standard 10; getting to the NEC Classic Motor Show at the 11th hour after days (and nights) of blood, sweat and tears. However, it would appear on this occasion, as I stand here in the workshop at 1am, it just won’t happen this time. Everything is against me; from the gearbox first motion bearing and layshaft failing to acres of silicon on every component which I, and my friends, heroes and willing helpers at ADO Restoration, had spent hours scraping off and had slowed progress markedly. You expect a few surprises when you take on a bargain classic that hasn’t been driven properly in decades, but I stand here, scraper in hand, bitterly wishing it wasn’t something I was sorting so close to deadline. Despite the hours ticking away, my optimism and ignorance had kept buoyant until this point…whereby Paul (long suffering co-worker) pops his head up to grimly inform me the clutch relay shaft chassis bush has split and there isn’t a spare.  
Shedding a few bitter tears, I refuse to give up and I simply grab the keys to my faithful 1968 Morris Minor four-door saloon, Nancy. A daily driver with an impeccable track record. Fitted with a new 1098cc engine last year, the only concern is a taste for regular gearbox oil top ups. Sloshing a litre of 20w50 into the ’box, checking levels, the spare tyre and boot spares (I carry all ignition parts, a head gasket set, various hoses and small bits and pieces like clutch return springs), I drive away into the night from a workshop filled with adrenaline and bitter disappointment.

Hopes were still high for the ill-fated Convertible.

  
**Plan B**  
Heading straight down the M1 from Huddersfield to Coventry to pick up my co-driver and best friend Joe Sheraton, I feel the bitterness of the failure leave me, it’s still a classic adventure after all! The journey to Kent is stress free, with no ‘will we/won’t we’ peril and Joe taking over at Coventry has given me some much needed time to catch up on lost sleep. As we edge closer to the border, we begin spotting classics which are clearly on the same journey as us. Minis and MGBs all polished up and shooting past, a gaggle of sleek Porsches roaring past us and various others giving us a beep and wave, in the knowledge we’re all about to have one heck of a weekend.  
Once in France, we take the autoroute for simplicity for the first stretch; enjoying a lack of traffic or roadworks – a motorists dream! We break the monotony with a detour through quaint French villages, punctuated by delightful boulangeries and patisseries. A brief stop in Rouen for petrol and an underbonnet inspection reveals no loss of any fluids or budging from ‘full’ on the dipstick. With light fading and Nancy still gallantly marching on, we arrive at our accommodation; luxury pods provided by Motorsport Travel Destinations.  
The site, twinkling with fairy lights, gave hint to being no normal ‘glampsite’ with the TR6 and MGB parked nearby. Each pod is kitted out with two beds, shelving and a quiet space to unwind. An onsite canteen serving meals, recognising our frazzled state, serves up a pair of delicious sandwiches. I note as we munch away that despite us being a ten-minute walk from the track, the noise of all the race cars competes with bird song and crickets; never letting you forget where you are!  
‘I drive into the night consumed by adrenaline and disappointment’

Paul removes gearbox in a last-ditch attempt.

  
**Dawn chorus**  
It feels like barely a moment passes between lights out and dawn breaking, at which point I’m raring to go and to experience the full Le Mans Classic experience. The blazing sunshine puts a spring in my step, and we walk to the track; albeit with a massive delay because I keep stopping to gawp at the dozens of visitor’s classics arriving at the venue. Anything from a stunning Capri MkIII to the late John Surtees’s Ferrari. Stepping through the gates, the magic immediately grips you. We find ourselves in the club displays; rows upon rows of delectable classics, some of which I had never seen before. As the track snakes round, the classics follow suit, with a mix of higher end brands such as Bugatti, Aston Martin and Bentley sitting quite comfortably next to Fiats, Peugeots and a gaggle of micro cars. Refreshingly, there is no ego. I don’t hear a single person showing off. Just smiles and laughter, hugs and goodwill.

Steph and co-pilot Joe… in the Plan B car.

  
The programme reveals there are more than 9000 cars on display, but the real highlight for me are the Tour De France cars. These are ‘curios and oddities’ which lead the race each year. The conjoined twin Renault 5 is probably my favourite. A spot of lunch leads us down to the track to watch some of the qualifying action.  
I arrive with zero expectation, but to see a Jowett out on the track put an enormous smile on my face. In the paddock, I spot some familiar faces from Bicester Heritage, who are working on the race cars over the weekend, which makes you especially proud of our homegrown talent. We also spot **PC**’s James Walshe, who joined us for an hour of car spotting, with an early Mitsubishi Colt being a highlight for him.

  
The funny thing about Le Mans Classic is that time has no concept. If you’ve never been before, it’s a hard to explain, but it really should be nicknamed ‘the circuit that never sleeps.’ The traffic is constant; a smell of fuel and grease lingers in the air and toots of horns (mainly from the 2CV and Mehari taxis) continue throughout the night.  
Despite chronic sleep deprivation, I am wide awake, and as the light fades, we mix watching qualifiers and dancing to a mix of DJs spinning Sixties hits from old school vinyl. In the early hours, we stumble back to the campsite. The cars still rushing round come within inches of the public footpath. Common sense is relied upon to avoid injury and happily, people behave well and move in harmony with the endless sea of classics. You can barely tell the site packs in 238,000 guests for the weekend, as it all seems to run seamlessly.

  
**Racy times**  
Day two brings the first ‘real’ races and include pre-war cars, Sixties classics (my favourite) and a bit of the more modern, high-end stuff. The racing continues for 24 hours, starting on the Saturday afternoon and continuing non-stop until Sunday afternoon. Each group of cars is out for an hour before the next one goes out, unlike 24 Hours, which has the same cars out for the full duration.  
We devour crepes, indulge in classic car spotting and visit the classic camping display – a mix of canvas frame tents and classic caravans. Each setup is completely vintage, with an impressive display of vintage accessories. Along with the racing, the displays and pop-up performers, there’s that relentless, non-stop music – a DJ in the main bar belting out the hits and another retro stage nearby plays Fifties and Sixties numbers. There’s a line-up of musical artists on a stage nearby, but the French DJ playing Northern Soul keeps me spinning on the wooden slats for far longer than I plan to be out! It’s 2am and we show no signs of slowing down, a bit like the race cars, we’re willing ourselves on. Sadly, the promise of three days of sun is suddenly broken with a deluge of rain that temporarily closes the track for a few hours. Seeing this as a chance to get some sleep, we grab a few hours before taking a very British approach of umbrellas and stiff upper lip. Spectating at Dunlop Corner, we will the cars to take more risk, but totally appreciate the races are soon to finish and the rain has left the track rather perilous. The sun emerges mid-afternoon, not long before the final race is called. We finish our time on the track exhausted, a soaking wet feeling to add to our sunburn.  
'We devour crepes and indulge in exotic classic car spotting’

Steph considers a Lagonda engine swap for her Minor.

Racing action takes place in 30 degree heat.

Classic camping area a big hit with Steph.

Steph and best mate Joe enjoy the madness.

  
**Homeward bound**  
The weather has changed as we set off for home Monday morning, having once again checked all the vitals. Barely a drop of oil used in the 1000 miles we’ve covered so far. Pulling up to a potato vending machine located in the middle of absolutely nowhere, sadly out of service, Joe tweaks the mixture. Within a few minutes, Nancy sounds fine again. We pick our way through little villages, soaking up the last of the French culture and soon, a stress-free Channel crossing is spoilt by an arduous trek up the M25. Nancy gets me home for 9pm and a quick tally of fuel receipts show her to be achieving approximately 38mpg; which is sensational. Underbonnet checks show the oil level has fallen around 1mm below the max line; and it’ll now be time for a customary service and inspection.  
Bravo to us, but mostly to Nancy, who has now covered over 5000 miles since her MOT in May, without fault. Above all though, the Le Mans Classic has completely changed my expectations of what a motoring spectacle should deliver. I’ll be returning next year – this time in a convertible!

Defunct spud machine on the rainy road home.  
  
WE WERE THERE TOO!  
**‘I can get all my Le Mans camping gear in it’**  
**1974 Triumph TR6 Colin Barker, Hertfordshire**

Colin’s trusty ’6 really is part of the family

  
I’m camping at Classic Le Mans with fellow members of the TR Register and Triumph Sport Six Club. The TR6 is the ideal tourer for trips like this. It’s comfortable, has power when you need it and although not exactly economical, these cars are relatively simple to maintain. You can get plenty of luggage in the back and a load of spares underneath the boot floor, too. This year, the boot itself is crammed full of camping gear, with a pair of axle stands and a kettle behind the seats.  
I bought my TR6 in 1978 when it had 23,000 miles. At the time, I looked at MGs, but they weren’t special enough for me, and I tried an Elan but I doubt I’d still own it now as they were so delicate. My TR6 has been so robust – it has never let me down. It’s a ten-metre car, as its not perfect but I find it very useable – it’s on 106,000 miles these days. In that time, the car has been very much part of the family – I drove it to work, took each of the kids to Saturday football and it has taken us on numerous holidays. My wife and I drove it to Spain on holiday last year. The engine has never been apart!  
  
**‘We’re heading down through France on the backroads’**  
**1965 Austin-Healey 3000 MkIII Richard Tysler, Essex**

  
My wife Anne and I are spending the weekend at Le Mans and love the sounds and sights – there’s nowhere else quite like it. We thought we’d bring the Austin-Healey as the weather forecast was good and it’s an excellent cruiser on a long distance – when Anne and I aren’t arguing over which direction to take. It’s always a mix of sat nav and old-fashioned map reading, which can be tricky as there’s so little space in the cabin!  
It’s Anne’s car really. She’d always wanted one. We’ve owned it for eight years, and it has been terrific. We’ve done the Pyrenees in the car and even though temperatures went beyond 30 degrees, the car was fine. On this trip, we’re doing the Le Mans classic and then heading down to the south of France using mostly backroads as it’s much nicer to keep a car like this away from the autoroute. We’re here at Le Mans this time with our friend Shaun – he doesn’t fit in the boot though, so he’s at the wheel of his Tesla. What a loser!  
  
**‘My Chevette is probably the rarest car at Le Mans’**  
**1975 Vauxhall Chevette Turbo David Foreshaw, Frampton Cotterell**

  
We’re on our way back from the Le Mans Classic, having done a long trip around Europe before that. The event was really good – we’ve had a real blast. I reckon we might have been in the rarest car there. There aren’t many Chevettes around – let alone Chevettes with 234bhp!  
My grandfather bought this car new in 1975, and I passed my driving test in it in 1988. I bought the car off him in 1993 and, after finding a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo that had crashed into a tree, I removed its 170bhp engine and fitted it into the Chevette. I’ve put it on multipoint and added a Cosworth intercooler, Starion turbocharger and vented discs. Plant your foot at 70mph and it pushes you back in your seat! However, it’s actually very relaxing to drive with the diff I’ve fitted. All that extra power was useful on our trip around the Alpine mountain passes. I’ve been with my son driving around Austria and Switzerland, followed by my brother in his Impreza and others in a Boxster, TT and a Stag. They were definitely following, as they couldn’t catch us!

**THE BIG NIGGLE**  
Jay wants to rid his Renault of funky smells from a previous owner

  
Imagine a combination of cigarette smell, a petrol spillage, and the impression a labrador is breathing on your neck. This is the inside of my (new to me) classic Renault 5, and I need to get it sorted!  
**Jay Harvard, Bristol**  
  
**RICH’S JOB CARD**  
BANISH INTERIOR ODOURS

  
There is a wide spectrum of steps for removing odours from an interior.They can be as simple as a good vacuum to remove the dry cause, up to a full interior rip out to find the residue and the recurring memory of a bottle of milk that leaked in the boot on the way back from the shop. Knowing how to attack various causes is almost as important as knowing how to take your interior to pieces to get to them in some cases. Luckily, there are some less invasive techniques you can try first…

  
Using O3 science to attack smells on a molecular level, they aren’t cheap, but you can hire them and they’re very effective at getting everywhere.

  
Part biocide, part scent, these also circulate through an air-con system and kill any nasties. They can leave a residue though, and are rarely permanent unless the source is removed.

  
While they don’t destroy the cause, these contain additives that absorb odours, sometimes leaving behind a powder to hoover up. Scented household ones are rarely as effective though.

  
Enzyme strands of protein are deployed in spray form to gobble up the organic causes of odours and eradicate them – assuming you can access them with the spray head.

  
Sanitising chemicals that leave longer lasting protection and prevent regrowth. They break apart cells of smelly stuff, but are less effective on inorganic smells such as petrol.

  
Set and forget for the day. These two-part kits use a chemical reaction to produce chlorine dioxide gas, which kills organic smells. Just ventilate well after, and use with caution.

  
Why remove a smell when you can blast a nicer smell into your face? Because sometimes it’s your only option. Short term cover up, but will mask a bad scent.  
  
**EXPLAINER:** Understanding the fundamentals of success…  
**1** **Catch it quick**

  
To successfully remove odours, you need to first remove the source. It stands to reason that if you leave a litre of spilled milk deep in your carpet, no amount of air freshener is going to stop the odour coming back again and again, so you need to remove the bacteria causing the whiff before treating it.

  
If it’s still wet, repeated flushing with clean water and an extraction machine is your best bet, repeating until the water draws out clean. Dried stains are trickier, and generally require diluting back down in order to suck the contaminant out if they’ve penetrated the surface. Always use cold water, as hot water can set proteins, making them nearly impossible to remove

  
Once all the ‘solids’ are out, you can then kill the odour-causing bacteria using various chemicals such as disinfectants, enzyme eaters, and biocidal cleaners. The deeper into fabrics and foam insulation the cause has seeped, the more you will need to ensure it can do its job, so saturate and squeeze to distribute fully.

  
THE CHOICE  
**BIOLOGICAL CONTAMINANTS**  
**1** **Organic contaminants**

  
Unpleasant things like mould, proteins and anything biological are bacteria based and can cause foul smells and mould the longer they are left untreated.

  
This is where wet treatments can kill the bacteria we mentioned earlier. Biocidal cleaners destroy the bacteria meaning they cannot reproduce, so the smell dies.

  
For hard to reach or inaccessible areas such as vents which the smell may have penetrated, a gas treatment will get everywhere liquid cannot – whether ClO2, Ozone, or odour bomb.

  
**OIL-BASED CONTAMINANTS**  
**4** **VOCs**

  
Oil-based contaminants; eg. fuel, smoke, perfumes and fragrances all emit VOCs – Volatile Organic Compounds. Over time they should dissipate, especially if the source can be mostly removed.

  
These can only be adsorbed - Substances such as baking soda, activated charcoal, talc or coffee grounds can all achieve this – or covered with fragrance until they dissipate over time.

  
To treat: place a bowl of ingredient in the area for as long as possible, or sprinkle baking soda directly when dry, leave to work, hoover, and repeat as necessary.  
  
**EASY MISTAKES**  
The surface is delicate… Sitting cleaned parts in the sun will kill bacteria naturally. UV oxidation breaks down odour molecules.  
The smell keeps coming back… Repetition is key for lingering scents. For deep spills, squeeze seating (etc) foams to draw products into the air bubbles within.  
Dog odour keeps reappearing… These odours are linked to dander – dog saliva drying on its hair. When this gets wet, the odour reactivates. Remove as much hair as possible and treat the carpet with an enzyme eater to kill off any bacteria for good.

  
**NIGGLE NOBBLED**  
Our reader’s result

  
After stripping the boot carpet out, I found the petrol smell was compounded by lead replacement additive that had leaked. I used the household Vax to remove it, then baking powder sorted the petrol smell over a few days, biocide cleaner dampened down the wet dog, and the cigarette odour is much reduced after an odour bomb. I’ve found by adding garlic and coffee air fresheners the Renault merely smells like a French bistro now, which I can live with.

In the September 2025 issue of Practical Classics, we mark 75 years of Formula 1 with an epic road trip from the venues that hosted it in the UK – from Aintree to Donington Park to Silverstone and Brand’s Hatch – in classics with a connection to motorsport.

There’s a trip down Memory Lane to 1976 Portsmouth, the tale of the restoration of a Dodge Spacevan TV license detector vehicle, a Subaru Brat revival, and a head-to-head between the Renault Clio 16v and Ford Fiesta XR2i.

We meet the man who still owns his first car – a Vauxhall Chevette – and get gooey eyed over a bunch of classic Alfa Romeos. At our workshop, our team of writers show off their project cars – from Morris Minor and 2CV to MGF, Austin Maxi and Fiat 500. Plus, tech tips on misfires and removing badges to advice on applying for tax and MOT exemption.

MARKETPLACE WITH MODERN CLASSICS  
**James Walshe** on how to buy the best example of Jag’s XJ for the Nineties

**Why you want one**  
While still in possession of Jaguar’s unique range of talents in 1994, the ageing XJ40’s Seventies roots had begun show. The X300’s arrival was therefore cause for great excitement in the luxury market and went on to turn Jaguar’s fortunes around during its short life. It presented a familiar Jaguar shape that nodded to the past, Geoff Lawson’s elegant front-end treatment reminiscent of the Series 3, yet with state-of-the-art Nineties tech and even greater comfort. While the X300 was, admittedly, a heavy reskin of its predecessor and a stopgap before the arrival of the X308 of 1997 (itself another clever reworking of the XJ40 platform), Ford’s ownership focussed on quality control, accompanied by wide-ranging revisions to the suspension and steering to give this new generation of Jag exec class-leading talent.  
The X300 presents buyers with not only a bargain luxury car, but one with the best DIY opportunities. Nothing is especially difficult to source or repair, with a familiar AJ16 straight-six engine under the bonnet in either 3.2 and 4.0-litre form. Base cars were known simply as ‘XJ6’, with none of those getting air-con, but find a version badged ‘Sport’ and it’ll have extras including bigger wheels and sportier seats and suspension, while the supercharged XJR gets an upgrade to 321bhp and some 17in alloys. ‘Executive’ badged models came later. For maximum luxury, you’ll want a Sovereign and Daimler badged X300. Meanwhile, the Daimler Double Six featured the XJ12’s glorious 6-litre engine but with extras like heated front seats, picnic tables in the rear and fluted leather door pockets. You might even find a Daimler Century with its special chromed wheels and electric rear seats. But do you need to worry about it all going wrong? Here’s what to look out for…  
**The inspection**  
Firstly, when scrutinising that handsome body, check the bolt-on front wings. While not much is, the front wings are interchangeable with the later X308. Inspect the rear wheel-arches – it’s possible to use XJ40 repair panels if necessary.  
Also examine the front and rear screen surrounds and around the sunroof aperture and check the latter’s drain holes for rust promoting blockages. The bonnet, door bottoms, and boot lid don’t suffer too badly, which is just as well because replacements are only available used and can be costly. Thoroughly check the bulkhead and front suspension turrets and pay particular attention to the ends of the sills and the toe-boards. Later examples can suffer serious corrosion where the floor meets the sills, so extensive probing from underneath is crucial to avoid failed MoT tests and subsequent uneconomic repair bills. Always check a car’s MOT history online to check for hidden horrors. Rotten rear bumper mounts aren’t uncommon, either, and it’s also worth checking for damaged chrome trim or light units and for paintwork defects such as peeling lacquer. The chrome trim on both bumpers is made of cheap and nasty metal and are difficult to replace. For all else, a healthy trade in secondhand X300 parts helps to keeps costs down.

Cabin based on XJ40, but vastly improved.  
‘This new generation of Jag exec had class-leading talent’

Only 6000 X300 V12s were made.  
Six-cylinder engines are bombproof, with careful maintenance often seeing cars doing 250-300k miles before a major overhaul. A fat folder of bills showing regular oil and filter changes provides peace of mind. Listen for rattles from the timing chain – consider renewing at 100k miles if you’re concerned – and for noise from a cracked exhaust manifold (these are no longer available). The XJR’s Eaton M90 supercharger just needs its oil checking and topping up periodically. The 6-litre V12 models are rare, but they’re equally strong if the servicing has been done properly. If you can, start the engine from cold and listening for the faint rumble of main bearing wear. Meanwhile, there’s a lot of engine to cool on all X300s, so inspect the system. Look for swollen hose ends and green-tinged corrosive build-up. Check for any leaks from the power steering, too – a replacement rack is £1000-plus – and for corrosion on steering and brake pipes.  
Where the electrics are concerned, iffy relays are easily sorted but the engine control module (behind the driver’s side kick panel) is prone to water ingress; a new one costs four figures, but you might find a second-hand unit for a few hundred pounds. There’s lots of kit, so prod every switch and button – replacing failed electric motors will get expensive as will reviving failed air conditioning – but don’t be surprised to discover that the digital clock no longer works; it’s such a common issue, replacements can be found easily at not much cost. Other issues include a seized boot lock and central locking remotes that are no longer working. Headlamp washers are easy to damage but, sadly, it’s impossible to find parts. Most owners don’t bother.

There are few places quite this nice on a long trip.  
Some X300s were trimmed in part leather but full leather is more desirable and, apart from scuffed driver’s seat bolsters, proves harder wearing. Wood veneer lasts well, too, but you’ll need second-hand bits if it’s damaged. More common is a sagging headlining, and contrary to opinion it can be replaced without having to remove the windscreen; it’s a tricky and labour-intensive job, though. The Daimler versions got two types of leather and two types of pleating, plus four different types of rear seat design – all available in both pleating types. It’s worth noting that while there is no Haynes manual for this version of Jaguar’s exec, fellow owners will no doubt furnish you with a copy of the factory manual – invaluable to X300 ownership.   
Gearboxes are strong – there’s a four-speed ZF auto and Getrag manual on the six-cylinder cars and a Powertrain automatic on V12 models. Whiny axles aren’t necessarily an issue unless intrusive to your ears. In the suspension, there are plenty of bushes to perish or fail and OEM replacements are recommended; those for the wishbones, anti-roll bars and front dampers are often particularly short-lived. Uneven tyre wear points to geometry out of kilter, while tired rear subframe mounting bushes or damper top mounts cause clunks and rattles. The work can become involved and pricy, so be wary of neglected examples. Look for leaking dampers and corroded or fractured springs, and budget £500-1000 to replace the lot.  
  
**WHAT TO PAY**  
**PROJECT** £400-£1500  
**GOOD** £2000-£5000  
**EXCELLENT** £6000-£10,000  
**TECH SPEC (V12)**  
**Engine** 5993cc/V12/OHC  
**Power** 314bhp@5350rpm  
**Torque** 352lb ft@2850rpm  
**Gearbox** 4-speed auto  
**Top speed** 155mph  
**0-60mph** 7.2sec  
**Economy** 15mpg  
  
**MARKET ANALYSIS**  
Bargains are still out there. Both Anglia Car Auctions and Mathewsons have seen tidy, usable examples of the XJ6 Sport sell for around £1500 in the past few months. You’ll pay a little more for a similar condition Sovereign or Daimler Six, while a good XJ12 and Daimler Double Six commands more still – if you can find one, as they’re extremely rare. The best XJR will be up for around £10,000. More than that, and you’ll need the most impeccable service history imaginable. As for projects, this was among the last XJ model you could define as ‘easy’ for DIY repairers and given that a project can be had from little as £500 surely makes this one of the market’s true bargains. You don’t have to spend a fortune on parts either, as most bits are available for reasonable cost when you’ve made some X300 chums. Bargains are still out there. Both Anglia Car Auctions and Mathewsons have seen tidy, usable examples of the XJ6 Sport sell for around £1500 in the past few months. You’ll pay a little more for a similar condition Sovereign or Daimler Six, while a good XJ12 and Daimler Double Six commands more still – if you can find one, as they’re extremely rare. The best XJR will be up for around £10,000. More than that, and you’ll need the most impeccable service history imaginable. As for projects, this was among the last XJ model you could define as ‘easy’ for DIY repairers and given that a project can be had from little as £500 surely makes this one of the market’s true bargains. You don’t have to spend a fortune on parts either, as most bits are available for reasonable cost when you’ve made some X300 chums.  
  
**WHAT WE SAY** **THE ONE TO BUY**  
**James Walshe**  
**Deputy editor**  
If it’s good enough for Prime Ministers and members of the criminal underworld, it’s good enough for me. I’ll take a LWB Daimler Double Six with its chrome bits – from door mirrors to handles. For a start, it has that smooth V12 – one of the greats. Known as the X330, an extra five inches were added to the X300 body, which was then crammed with luxuries like fluted leather door pockets and marquetry veneer. No luxury car can be truly called luxurious if you don’t have picnic tables for your passengers, right?

**Editor**  
I have owned two six-cylinder X300s Jaguars, the second being a SWB Daimler Six version. I will have that one back please. Extra cow, extra tree, extra sheep and a ribbed radiator cowling. It gave the car a regal touch, and the short wheelbase added driving panache. The glorious AJ16 engine, despite being half the V12, gave so much bang for its buck that I wouldn’t want anything else in front of me.  
Reliable, responsive and reasonably frugal, this is top of the range luxury to use every day, it has to be the ultimate X300.

  
**Matt Tomkins**  
**Workshop editor**  
For me, it would have to be an XJR. You simply can’t beat the theatre of a big supercharger, especially one strapped to that silky smooth straight-six. I’ve driven a couple and loved both – each time vowing to buy my own one day. The appeal of a big, leathery exec is strong, but add to it the surging torque of belt-driven forced induction with acceleration akin to a jet on take-off and there’s nothing better. Or maybe there is… has anyone ever dropped XJR running gear beneath a Mk2? Now there’s a thought…  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**Jaguar Drivers Club**, :a[jaguardriver.co.uk]{href='https://jaguardriver.co.uk' }  
**Jaguar Enthusiasts,** :a[jec.org.uk]{href='https://jec.org.uk' }  
**Auto Reserve Jaguar,** :a[autoreservejaguar.com]{href='https://autoreservejaguar.com' }  
**SNG Barratt,** :a[sngbarratt.com]{href='https://sngbarratt.com' }

Wise Buyer: Jaguar XJ X300 1994-1997

The classics you love, drive and restore  
  
**‘It was my dream Beetle when I was a kid’**  
**1972 VW Beetle** Ross Nicholson, Gorebridge

Hello Herbie!  
This is my 1972 VW Beetle, which is now a Herbie replica. Before purchase it had some bodywork tidied up and was painted white, from its original factory blue, which was ideal for me, as I was looking for a white one. Since I’ve had it, I’ve done a ton of work on it, new floorpans, new heater channels, full interior fitted… I chose Porsche 911 seats, too. I’ve fitted some backdated panels from a Sixties Bug and US spec bumpers, which are period correct for Herbie. I have also had a ragtop sunroof cut in, plus a lot of engine work done, including twin Weber carbs and painted shrouds, new wheels and tyres. Pretty much everything has been done now and I’m just enjoying taking it to shows and driving it in the nice weather. The blue picture is how it looked in its previous life when it was still just a mere car. Now it’s Herbie.

  
**‘It’s the first type of car that I ever travelled in’**  
**1963 Morris 1100** Graham Davis, Bexhill

One of the earliest known 1100s.  
My 1100 is Fiesta Yellow with a Porcelain Green interior and has the bent gear lever and the washer bottle mounted next to the grill. All things that single it out as a first year of production car. My parents had a D-reg 1100 when I was born, so my first journey was in one. When a friend decided to sell this, I had to have it. It had one owner from new until 2019 and then it was lightly restored and sold at auction. The car has 103,000 miles on the clock and it isn’t perfect, but it is is pretty good body-wise. It has a new Gold Seal engine and a reconditioned gearbox, so drives like a dream.

Porcelain interior, rare.  
  
**‘It really is a hell of a package’**  
**1977 Corvette C3** Glen Sharpe, Oakham

Diff revival was a saga.  
I’d hankered after a C3 Corvette for years. It’s got a limited slip diff, power brakes, air-con, power steering, electric windows, cruise control… the list goes on. Add to that the thumping great 5.7-litre V8 and three-speed automatic transmission, it’s a hell of a package. It had a crack in the glassfibre wing when I bought it, which I sorted myself, as well needing wheel bearings and work on the rear brakes.  
The limited slip differential had a horrendous noise coming from it when turning, too. I got to the point of being ready to sell the car because of it, but eventually research led me to the specific mineral oil and friction additive needed for the final drive and the correct running in procedure – 15 figures of eight in a deserted car park – which finally saw that problem solved. I couldn’t be happier with the car now.  
  
**‘It’s the ex-Practical Classics 205 CJ!’**  
**1992 Peugeot 205 CJ** Tim York, Somerset

I bought this 205 from PC editor Danny Hopkins. It’s a great car and I enjoy driving it as much as he did for the _Winter Warmers_ feature in Cornwall (PC, March 2025). Danny was honest about where it could be improved and the sale price reflected this. He left me a used choke mechanism in the boot, which we fitted along with a new back box. It won’t win any concours prizes, but I don’t really care, as it’s such a fun little summer car.  
  
**‘I’m intrigued by Honda’s fantastic engineering’**  
**2006 Honda Civic Type R** Jacob Arthur, Wiltshire

The smiles don’t stop.  
We had a Honda Beat in the family for a while and loved the high-revving nature of it. I’m a mechanic and was intrigued by the engineering – especially the VTEC units. I love to work on my own cars, so especially enjoy this ‘EP3’. It has one of the best engines fitted to a hot hatch. It blew me away when I took it on the test drive – I couldn’t stop smiling. It really demands your attention, so you have to engage with it. This particular one is a ‘Premier edition’ – so you get Recaro seats, factory tinted windows, red carpets and unique brake calipers. I’ve got a 2CV as well, which is a keeper.  
  
**‘I’ve taken my wife all round Europe in this!’**  
**1958 Messerschmitt KR201** Winford Jones, Taunton

European tourer… tick!  
When I was younger, I worked as an apprentice with a German man, and he first introduced me to the Messerschmitt. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve owned since 1964. I’ve had this KR201 for around 40 years. People love seeing it drive past and you end up in a lot of conversions at the petrol pump, but there’s a lot of myths about them. While they were indeed designed by aircraft engineers, they most certainly were not made from leftover aircraft! The company began by building invalid carriages for war veterans and then progressed to these beautiful little cars.  
The Messerschmitt is reliable, too. I’ve been to Germany, Holland and Austria – all over Europe many times – they’ll cruise along at 55mph all day long. My wife Jean has always been with me – we happily fly along together. The seats split and you can fit a suitcase in, along with your passenger.  
  
**‘Citroën folk get out and about!’**  
**1986 Citroën 2CV** Paul Ellis, Calne

No museum piece… a ‘user’.  
I’ve had eight of these two-cylinder Citroëns, starting with a Dyane many, many years ago when I lived in South Wales. I’ve since owned all different kinds, from Club to Charleston models with all their fancy paintwork. I saw this red Paris-built ‘Spécial’ for sale locally on eBay and the pictures looked so good, I went to visit the car right away. The lady owner was an army officer and had looked after it well. The owner before her had previously made some sort of plywood modification to the dashboard – I got rid of all that without hesitation! Otherwise, the car needed a new clutch, and I’ve since given it a paint job and replacement roof, but everything else is original – even the chassis! I use it a lot and have many Citroën club friends around here. We’re out and about in our cars a lot.  
  
**‘I keep it in the front room in winter’**  
**1984 Sinclair C5** Colin Frost, Taunton

Daily driver…. sort of.  
When the weather is alright, I go to work at the local hospital in my C5. It only comes out in summer though – the rest of the year I keep it in my living room. I’ve had it five years and it has been great, only needing a few jobs. I’ve rewired and improved the electrics and fitted new brakes and tyres. A set of tyres is about £80. Sam at C5 Depot in Suffolk is the go-to guy. He buys, sells, services and restores them – and even does lithium conversions. I recently took part in a run from Ipswich to Felixstowe with around 40 other Sinclair C5 owners. It was a bit rainy, but we all made it there, I think! It took two hours, and we caused a few traffic jams! It was quite a sight – plenty of people waving and smiling. I’ve always liked the C5. I first remember seeing it on TV, on a Top Gear test drive feature in London back in the Eighties. I’ve also got four Raleigh Grifters and a Raleigh Chopper MkI.  
  
**‘I bought it before I had completed the test drive’**  
**1965 Austin-Healey Sprite MkIII** David and Thea Sanders, South Witham, Lincs

Grandad’s treat, Thea loves it, too.  
Thea: The car is actually called BOT and, when grandad picks me up from school in it, everyone waves. It’s very shiny and very red! David: She’s right. It’s also a matching numbers car which I bought in 2014. I’d been looking for a classic and had driven a Stag the previous day to going to see this. The Stag was wonderful but it just didn’t do anything for me, however the Sprite was a different story – if I am honest I had agreed to buy it before completing the test drive! I’ve fitted a brake servo and replaced the starter motor and battery, but other than that it’s pretty much as I bought it. It’s a real joy to drive on country roads and feels so much faster than it really is. I fitted the brake servo as it really did stop like a Sixties car. Now it stops like a Seventies car!  
  
**‘One owner, my garage find’**  
**1985 Ford Sierra 2.0 Ghia** Stefan Falzon, Malta

I've been a petrolhead since as long as I can remember, mostly thanks to my dad also being into cars. He still owns his very first car, an Escort MkI 1300 Super that he bought new in 1969 and which he cherished meticulously all these years. Coming now to my collection, my first car – a 1975 Escort MkII given to me by my dad – is now in the spray booth after a 10-year full resto. My love for the blue oval is undeniable, so in came a 1983 Fiesta MkI for which I got a rare series X (twin 36 Weber DCNFs on RS inlet and 4-2-1exhaust manifolds) and this, my one owner, garage find 1985 Sierra 2.0 Ghia with 20,000km on the clock. I also own one of my all-time favourite drives, a 2000 1.7 Puma. For me cars are beyond a means of transport but a way to connect with people sharing the same passion and to relax by tinkering in the garage after a day of sitting at a desk (I'm an accountant by profession). More importantly, they're a means to make priceless memories with my loved ones!  
  
**‘It has been in the family for 63 years!’**  
**1962 Volkswagen Beetle** Lynn and Vaugn Wray, Melton Mowbray

Family owned for 63 years.  
Vaugn: My parents bought the Beetle in 1962, and it’s been in my life ever since. It’s incredibly original, with even the dealership badge still attached to the passenger door card. I fondly remember family holidays in the car – to Devon, Edale, Blackpol, the Lake District and more. There’s a fab photo of me aged three taking my first trip in the car. The first of many! In 1976 the Beetle became my work car until, in 1978, it became university transport in Swansea. When I returned home in 1981, the Beetle was retired and garaged for a number of years until 1989, when it received a sympathetic overhaul. It was the least we could do really. After another period of use, the car went away again into my parents’ garage until, in 2021, my mum passed away. We returned the car to the road once again and now thoroughly enjoy taking it to shows and enjoy telling people the story of its 63 years in our family’s ownership.  
  
**‘My mate asked me to sell it so I did… to me!’**  
**1971 MGB Roadster** Rob Beechey, Oakham

  
Quite seriously I had no plans to buy a classic, but when my friend, Glen, bought his Corvette (see elsewhere in _Your Cars_), he needed to sell this. This meant that I was tasked with driving it to the local shows with a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. Much to my surprise, I rather liked it, so the ‘For Sale’ sign kept mysteriously disappearing from the window when it was parked up on display while I decided how I would approach Glen. Glen had recently fitted the car with an overdrive gearbox and it was in good condition overall, but was showing some signs of wear with a number of dinks and dents on the wings and doors from storage damage. I appointed a paintless dent removal specialist recommended by a local Ferrari specialist and the results are amazing. I’m really pleased with it.  
  
**‘I lived in the US and I love big V8s’**  
**1968 Ford Mustang 302 Fastback** Peter Taylor, Elton, Cambs

No messing with this one.  
I spent a number of years of my life is American and I love V8s, so this purchase was inevitable, really. I bought the car two years ago from a dealer – Peter Cavallo – who had imported it originally before selling it to its two owners before me! I had a Cougar when I was in the ‘States, but sold it as I (wrongly) assumed that parts for it would be tricky to source once I returned to the UK. I should have brought it over, really, but the Mustang is most definitely a worthy replacement. When it was in America, it belonged to a garage owner for around 38 years – which is both good and bad. It good because it was exceptionally well looked after. Bad because there are no bills for what has been done in the service history! I use it now for shows and events including trips to the Goodwood Revival. My wife loves dressing up and I love the cars and – being ex-RAF – the planes, too. There’s nowhere better to indulge the passion.  
  
**‘I’ll never sell it. This is my relationship with my dad’**  
**1999 Volvo V70** Andy Harris, Little Houghton, Northants

This is my father’s car which he bought in October 1999 new, it was his third and final Volvo. He switched allegiance from Vauxhall when he retired. It’s a keeper. He passed away in 2003 and I have had it ever since. It has pretty much always been taxed and roadworthy and is still used, currently on 143,000 miles. It has some patina about it but that is what these Volvos are all about, they love to be used. When dad had had all the chemotherapy anyone could have, he became a bit of a hippy type character, into crystals and Reiki healing and that sort of thing. He used to visit a healer the other side of Norwich and by then he wasn’t driving and I used to pick him up in this car and we would go back and forth having the best chats. Those are the chats you can only have in a car facing forwards and I will never forget them, they mean everything to me. That is why this car is a keeper… spectacular memories… I’ll never sell it. I can’t. It’s him. It’s us. It’s also amazing for tip runs!  
  
**‘I was inspired by my father’s artwork’**  
**ASM R1 Aston Martin Replica** Chris Haynes, Somerset

My father was John Haynes, who started the Haynes Publishing group and established the museum. He was also a talented artist. One of the first paintings he did was DBR1 winning at Le Mans. After we sold the publishing group I bought two cars, this and a Ford Galaxie. When I told me mum she started smiling. She told me that my father always wanted a Galaxie, but he couldn’t afford it. When eventually he had the money, he couldn’t find one. But the ASM was always on the cards, thanks to that painting. I love it, it’s a 2016 build and has the 4.2-litre XK engine. I parked it outside a friend’s house the other day and he immediately received a large number of texts from friends asking if he had come into serious wealth, but as a replica it’s only a fraction of the value of a real one, so that means I can use it, and I do. There’s a major new automotive art exhibition on in the museum at the moment and you will be able to see it and this car as part of the John Haynes Classic on September 7. :a[johnhaynesclassic.co.uk]{href='https://johnhaynesclassic.co.uk' }  
  
**‘I’ve built a Seventies museum, so my GT fits right in!’**  
**1971 Opel GT** Ron Martin, Cornwall

Not a shape you see at every show.  
I’m into Vauxhalls and Opels, having bought my first Manta at the age of 22. Back then, I’d actually gone to look at an Escort RS2000 in Selly Oak with a mate. After some thought, he suggested that if the insurance doesn’t kill me, the car will! So, I bought myself the Manta instead! My uncle owned a lime green Manta SR so he definitely had some influence. This GT is a real keeper. I bought it three years ago, but life got in the way, so I almost sold it. When nobody was willing to take it off my hands, I decided to just get on with it! Now it’s finished, it gets a lot of attention, although not everyone knows what it is – some people think it’s a Corvette! I’m currently restoring another GT and a Manta, and establishing a Seventies museum here in Cornwall. It’s an old gym and work in progress, with plans to display all kinds of memorabilia and a few period motorbikes. There’ll be vending machines, bicycles, original food packaging, a Wurlitzer and a recreation of a Seventies house, so the Opel fits right in!  
  
**‘I just really fancied a V10!’**  
**1985 Audi UR Quattro and 2010 Audi R8** Jason Sharpe, Wissendine

I bought the UR Quattro in 2002 from a chap who worked for Prodrive. I’ve got a background in rallying – having competed in the British Rally Championship’s Peugeot Challenge – and my nephew had just bought a white one. I thought ‘it’s no good him having one and me not!’ I wanted a red one, of course, so got straight on the net and have owned this one ever since. It wasn’t in bad condition when I bought it, and I was lucky that at that time parts were far more readily available than they are now. I put two new rear quarters on it and a bonnet, and it had a glass-out respray in 2003. I fitted a new cylinder head and manifold at the time, too. It’s the WR with the shimmed tappets and, in my view, is the best sounding engine of the lot. The other quattro is a Gen 1 V10 R8, which I bought to replace my Porsche 911 turbo as I really fancied owning a V10. It only done 26,000 miles and is largely original apart from the carbon wrap on the roof, K&N filters and handmade titanium exhaust – all fitted by the previous owner. I do love it, but if ever I have the choice, I always grab the keys to the UR Quattro. It’s in my blood from rallying and would be the last of all the cars I own to go.  
  
**COLLECTOR OF THE MONTH**  
**‘The Chevette was my first car and is as basic as a car can be!’**  
**1980 Vauxhall Chevette, 1998 Vauxhall Corsa Convertible** Gavin Andrews, Hampshire

Corsa's cantilever boot lid unique to Convertible.  
**How does your obsession sit with the family?**  
‘Well, my wife Natalie is into the Harry Potter novels and films, so while I have a garage full of Vauxhall memorabilia, brochures and parts, she has her own space to indulge her hobby. There are rules though – I’m not allow flags or posters in the house! We don’t necessarily understand each other’s hobbies, but we tolerate them! My daughter Karenza isn’t fussed about cars, but my 14-year-old son James very much has his eye on the Chevette. He has hinted it’d make a good first car!’  
**That would be fitting, as it was your first car…**  
‘It has been with me since 1995, when I’d just passed my driving test. I heard that this Chevette had been in a garage for a while, so it ended up being my first set of wheels. It’s a 1980 ‘E’ model, so unbelievably basic. For instance, it has reversing lights and while they’re wired in, the switch isn’t connected. You’d have paid extra for that! It came with one rear view mirror, radial tyres and no Vauxhall logos on the wheel trims.’  
**And you kept it all this time?**  
‘I ran it for about six years until I bought my second car, an Astra MkII – and many others besides. Early on, I made modifications to the Chevette and swapped out the interior but having kept the original vinyl seats in my parents’ attic, I have since taken it back to standard – apart from the wheels. I still have those at the back of my garage. Along with so many boxes of Vauxhall memorabilia! The collection is so big, I really need to do something with it all.’

Base Chevette got OHV 1256cc engine and not much else!  
**And the car, too?**  
‘Yes, it needs to be revived as although it starts and runs well enough, it is probably time to do some revival work to spruce it up. It could do with some welding – the passenger side needs a new arch and sill. But it has spent most of its life in a garage and still has only 60,000 miles on the clock. I’m proud to have that – and it has outlasted my other Vauxhalls.’

Chevette's red vynide seats still immaculate.  
**What of your most recent addition to the fleet?**  
‘I had another Corsa B and liked it, but stumbled over this Convertible for £2700. I don’t think it’s the most attractive cabrio – it looks better with the roof down! There are a few unique and quirky bits, like the cantilever boot lid struts and rear spoiler. Weirdly, while it has a grommet for where the rear wiper would be, it still has a wiper motor!’

**We can’t recall ever seeing one!**  
‘It appears in two brochures and there was just one press release at the time. It’s thought 60 were built in total – 20 in green, 20 in red and 20 in black – but it didn’t sell all that well and was quickly dropped. It was sold in Australia as a Holden, but never took off there either. It’s a curiosity for sure and gets a lot of bewildered glances. Whatever the case, I smile every time I look at it!’

Hood looks somewhat unusual when raised.  
  
**Send us your car photos**  
To :a[practical.classics@bauermedia.co.uk]{href='mailto:practical.classics@bauermedia.co.uk' }, marked ‘Your Cars’. Make sure your pictures are hi-res and that you are in them.

Your cars September 2025

Tech solutions and real world tips  
  
**Matt Tomkins**  
**WORKSHOP EDITOR**  
Our workshop puppet master, Matt has a real penchant for restoring British classics in particular.  
**This month** A varied month including some MGF fettling, Morris Minor titivation and a pre-race health check for the Austin Seven.  
  
**Rich March**  
**PRO BUFFER**  
New recruit Rich runs UK Detailing Academy. Our expert at making things shiny.  
**This month** Shows you how to safely remove tints, badges and stickers from your classic without causing any harm.  
  
**Ed Hughes**  
**WORKSHOP GENIUS**  
A former teacher, Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car and intends keep it that way.  
**This month** Some ‘interesting’ rust repairs are continuing on the 1988 Lada Riva in fits and starts. The ZAZ Tavria should be driving around again by the time you read this.  
  
**Nigel Clark**  
**DIY RESTORER**  
Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of pro mechanics. He’s our resident Triumph and BMW expert.  
**This month** Too much top-down fun in the sun means that it’s 3000-mile service time for two of the classic fleet.

  
**TAX AND MOT**  
**How do I get tax exemption?**  
**Q I've bought a Talbot Sunbeam that should be tax-free, but isn't. What do I do to resolve this?**  
**Brian Lansdowne, Esher**

Registering for ‘Historic’ status should be a simple process.  
  
ALL FINE!  
Apply for tax or SORN as soon as is possible after buying a car, to avoid a fine.  
BE RESOURCEFUL  
You may be able to get a letter from a DVLA-recognised club stating your car's age and pedigree if needed. Alternatively, the British Motor Museum can provide heritage certificates for many British marques.  
LOST IN TIME  
If you claim Historic tax on car build date rather than first registration, the V5C will then show build date in place of first registration date.

  
**Ed says**  
**A** Take the V5C to a Post Office which handles car tax. Ask to change taxation class to 'Historic' and the clerk should do the rest. Note the MOT-free status arrives on the car's 40th birthday – but Historic tax class starts on April 1 in the year after the car turns 40. So, in April 2025, all cars made in 1984 became tax-free.  
It's administered on date of first registration. If your car is significantly older, ask a DVLArecognised club to supply evidence, and change it to date of manufacture. If the difference is a year, and you only use the car a couple of months, though, it's probably not worth the bother and potential expense.  
Car tax can only, in theory, be issued if the car's insured. If you ever let its insurance lapse, you must SORN it, otherwise you'll receive a fine for keeping an uninsured vehicle 'on the road'. The DVLA may ask to inspect a car if you apply for a V5C (or renew an old-style log book or V5) for a vehicle that has been untaxed for many years. If the vehicle is part-dismantled (maybe even just missing a panel or two), the inspection may result in the suspension of the vehicle's registration until it's put back together and can be proved to be one whole and largely-original car. This has an anti-crime motive, but can cause bother for the innocent enthusiast. The car should be fully assembled. The chassis plate or stamping should be present and fitted and match the numbers on the V5/log book. Ideally, obtain the V5C before starting restoration work, so that there's no risk of wasting your time and money. If you've already completed work, you might have to work a bit harder to demonstrate the car is mostly-original.  
  
**MATT SAYS**

  
‘Don't worry if you still have valid tax that you've paid for – when the tax class is changed, you'll be refunded. This is done by cheque for annual-purchased tax or by direct debit if that’s your payment method. For a quick V5C turnaround after buying a car (to tax or SORN it faster), change ownership online at **:a[gov.uk]{href='https://gov.uk' }**.’  
  
**FORD CORTINA**  
**MAKING CONTACT**  
**Q I’d like to convert my Cortina to electronic ignition. I've seen a period unit that retains the original points.**  
**James Horace, Newquay**

  
**Nigel says**  
**A**Electronic ignition gives consistent spark strength and dead-accurate spark timing. The latter depends on electronic triggering, rather than the opening of mechanical contact breakers – so this advantage is lost by retaining the points. If you’re fitting electronic ignition, we suggest going for a full system. It’ll never need adjusting once properly set up. That said, contact breakers are perfectly adequate and difficulties are more likely to be caused by wear or maladjustment of the distributor or the wrong distributor being fitted. Problems when hot often stem from a faulty condenser, mis-wired ballast ignition system, incorrect coil or coil wired up in reverse. Hesitations and misfires: bad rotor arm, HT leads and caps or spark plugs.  
  
**CLUTCHES**  
**Please release me**  
**Q However I adjust it, the release bearing on my fivespeed (Ford Type 9) Morris Minor always returns such that it's in light contact with the pressure plate. It is hydraulic. Is this correct?**  
**Martin Evans, Tredegar**

  
**Matt says**  
**A** Clutches may be operated by cable, rods or hydraulics. In many cases, when they're adjusted in accordance with the instructions, the release bearing is found to rest lightly on the pressure plate when not in use (constant contact). Hydraulic systems in this case are designed so that – no matter how you set the pushrod – after pressing and releasing the pedal, the hydraulics return to leave the release bearing in light contact. Note that this is only possible with a roller release bearing. A carbon release, such as that originally fitted to the Minor, would be quickly ruined.  
In some cases, however – such as the Minor’s standard 4-speed rod linkage set-up, the release bearing is held off the pressure plate so that it remains stationary when not in use (noncontact). In this case, a hydraulic system (where fitted) must be correctly set to give a satisfactory rest point.

  
You'd think the latter non-contact system was better: no wear and tear when not in use. However, for a roller release bearing, we think the logic in a constant-contact system is to do with what happens when the clutch is pressed. It's presumably considered better to have the bearing spinning already when it's suddenly loaded up.  
The non-contact system sees it slammed into the pressure plate, having to accelerate from a stop to 4000rpm in an instant while fully-loaded. Note: the release bearing should only just touch the pressure plate: if it's in constant hard contact, the forward pressure on the crankshaft will grind away the engine thrust bearings.  
  
**FORD GRANADA**  
**HOT UNDER THE COLLAR**  
**Q I’ve bought a Ford Granada with overheating problems. What should I do?**  
**David Grant, Swansea**

Coolant leaks cause overheating. Some are not so obvious!

  
**Ed says**  
**A** Flush the system repeatedly until the water runs clear. Then fit a new water pump, thermostat, radiator, cap and radiator fan switch and relay. Check that the fan operates when the fan switch wires are put together. Make sure also that it pulls air through the grille towards the  
engine (reverse wires if not). Check all hose clips, hoses and small water passages into the engine. Check the heater is not leaking. If overheating persists, change the head gasket. Check block and head for corrosion or warping.  
  
**REMOTE SERVOS**  
**A long brake**  
**Q I released my Morris Minor's servoed brakes joining a roundabout and the car continued to slow down. I drove it to safety, turned the engine off and it was instantly fine again. It's done it several times since.**  
**Edgar Jackson, Bushey**

Check the black rubber ring is not sticking down.

  
**Matt says**  
**A** As a preliminary check, make sure there's a small clearance between the brake pedal pushrod and the piston of the brake master cylinder. Check the piston is able to return to its rest position, up against the circlip at the end of the cylinder bore and is not hampered by rust or swollen seals.  
If the piston can't return fully, the brakes will tend to bind on – to a greater or lesser extent.  
Make sure a brake lining hasn't detached itself and been binding inside a brake drum. In this case, we'd expect the car to pull to one side, lock a wheel or heat one wheel up more than the others during driving.  
We think, though, the most likely explanation is that there's a problem with your remote brake servo. There are three main elements to the servo. The main vacuum chamber is the largest and most obvious.  
It's divided in two by a rubber diaphragm with a pushrod attached. The chamber is connected to the engine inlet manifold, which sucks the air from both sides of the diaphragm. When you press the pedal, the smaller vacuum control valve (photo) on top of the servo reacts. It has a small diaphragm and pushrod, which rises to admit air to one side of the main vacuum chamber in a controlled way. The air pushes against the vacuum remaining in the other half of the main chamber, forcing the diaphragm and pushrod forward. The pushrod pushes the piston in what's effectively a second, assisted, master cylinder in front of the main vacuum chamber, sending pressurised fluid to the wheel cylinders. The vacuum control valve has two rubber seals, and from experience we think the top one – visible in the photograph – may be sticking closed after the brake pedal is released. Try inserting a little silicone grease under it with a small paintbrush. You can dismantle the control valve, but do try the non-invasive approach first.  
  
**FORD FIESTA**  
**Round the bend**  
**QMy Fiesta MkII skips and crashes around on bends quite badly. I changed the tyres, with little effect.**  
**Olly Highfield, Banbury**

  
**Nigel says**  
**A** Change the dampers. Most cars of this generation on have them built into the struts. See the manual – but in a nutshell, remove each strut from  
the car, remove the strut top bearing (fronts) and spring (use spring compressors or a strut compressor) and simply put these parts onto the new strut.  
Replace the polyurethane bump stops on the chromed centre rod of the strut. They're usually badly damaged or completely absent.  
  
**BMW 520I**  
**Oh, pulley the other one!**  
**Q The cam timing marks of my BMW 520i project line up when crank pulley shows 40ºATDC. I am positive that the cam sprocket bolt has never been disturbed.**  
**Philip Unsworth, Armley**

Expect the unexpected!  
**Ed says**  
**A** Are you sure? We've found cam timing errors woefully common after repairs. Remove the spark plugs. Turn the crank to indicated TDC and insert a long screwdriver carefully into no.1 plug hole. Rock the crank pulley and carefully probe to see if the piston is, in fact, at its highest point (top dead centre). If not, turn the engine until it is and observe the pulley. If, as you suspect, it indicates 40ºATDC, remove the pulley and investigate. We once found a pulley that had split and turned on the crankshaft presumably from something falling and jamming in it while the engine was running (photo).  
  
**RENAULT 4**  
**STARTER’S ORDERS**  
**Q My Renault 4 is very hard to start after a few days and stutters going up hills. Otherwise, it runs very sweetly.**  
**Dan Modi, Standish**  
**Ed says**  
**A** We think you have a fuel supply issue. Make sure that rubber hoses are in good condition and tight and that the fuel tank pickup gauze is not mummified or the tank full of sediment. Change a disposable fuel filter if it’s of uncertain age. Check gauze filters which may be built into the fuel pump and/or carburettor. Remove the fuel pump, drain it of petrol and check that the one-way valves operate correctly using a long, clean plastic tube, alternately lightly sucking and blowing on the outlet and inlet in turn. There should be a sharp on-off action as you alternate. If not, the valves are defective. If the pump can be dismantled, inspect and clean. Otherwise, replace it. If the oil smells strongly of petrol, the pump diaphragm has failed. Replace the pump; change the oil and filter.

  
**CARBURETTORS**  
**SOMERSET FLOODS**  
**Q My Austin Somerset has a rebuilt carb and fuel pump. After 2500 fault-free miles, the carb has started dripping fuel when running.**  
**Robin Laughlin, Suffolk**  
**Matt says**  
**A** It sounds like the carb's flooding – ie the float chamber is continuing to fill, when already full. Maybe the valve has started to unscrew itself, or a particle of debris is preventing the float needle valve from fully closing. If it's a chip of black material, the fuel hoses have shed bits of rubber into the fuel system. Rusty particles, on the other hand, are likely from the fuel tank or pipe. Install a fuel filter just before the fuel pump, in such a way that it will trap sediment and not just let it fall back down the pipe when the engine is switched off. The carb may have a built-in mesh filter just by the inlet stub.  
Perhaps the carburettor float has split, causing it to take on a little fuel inside and sink – fooling the needle valve into admitting more fuel even when the chamber is full. Hold the float by your ear and shake it. Listen for the tinkle of liquid inside.  
  
**READER'S TIP**  
Slow puncture? Spray tyre beads, tread and valve seat with soapy water and look for little mountains of bubbles to appear.  
**Luke Germain, Ingleton**  
Buy a telescopic ‘aerial’ magnet. Never fumble a washer off a stud (and drop it into the depths) again!  
**Mark Thurlow, Stoke-on-Trent**  
  
**FAILURE OF THE MONTH**  
**Ed fixes a misunderstanding… again…**

  
I didn't try to use this carb before examining it. Good job, too. The primary throttle butterfly and mixture were both closed right off. The carb was 'set up' to idle on its secondary throttle butterfly alone (below), which had been wedged open by slackening the screws and misaligning the butterfly plate! The engine idled beautifully, once corrected.

Ask our experts September 2025

**BUYER'S BRIEF**  
**James Walshe** says that the Frogeye is proof that size doesn’t matter

So much fun – regardless of the great British weather.  
**MARKET ANALYSIS**  
The days of picking up a basket case project Sprite for peanuts are well and truly over, as the very best now fetch around fifteen to twenty grand. The lovable Frogeye saw significant rises in the past few decades but tidy ones are not unreasonable now, with an excellent example selling in April this year at Bonhams for £12,650. The original Sprite remains a canny investment though – it’s hard to see how you’d lose out. There are plenty of dedicated Austin-Healey specialists in the UK – despite many specialising mostly in the big ’Healeys. These days, very few decent project cars turn up in this country, most having been restored years ago and cherished by doting owners ever since. Have a chat with members of the clubs to find the best. The days of picking up a basket case project Sprite for peanuts are well and truly over, as the very best now fetch around fifteen to twenty grand. The lovable Frogeye saw significant rises in the past few decades but tidy ones are not unreasonable now, with an excellent example selling in April this year at Bonhams for £12,650. The original Sprite remains a canny investment though – it’s hard to see how you’d lose out. There are plenty of dedicated Austin-Healey specialists in the UK – despite many specialising mostly in the big ’Healeys. These days, very few decent project cars turn up in this country, most having been restored years ago and cherished by doting owners ever since. Have a chat with members of the clubs to find the best.  
**Why you want one**  
You can’t possibly dislike a Frogeye, can you? Or can you? Is this fun little sportster really as joyous to own as it is to look at? We’re glad to announce that it’s mostly good news, even if you intend to buy a shabby project car. Such is the widespread wisdom available – not to mention outstanding club, specialist and parts support – ownership of an Austin-Healey Frogeye Sprite is one of simple pleasures and mostly uncomplicated repairs. There are, of course, numerous pitfalls to running any Fifties classic… especially if it has been subjected to British roads, but get to know how they tick, and we reckon this is one of the most satisfying sports cars you’ll ever own.  
BMC launched the Frogeye in Monte Carlo, and caused a stir with the press and public alike. It was meant to have retractable headlamps, but BMC cut development costs on Gerry Coker’s clever unitary-bodied masterpiece before it emerged with its charismatic bug-eyes and that grinning grille. Intended as a spiritual successor to sporty pre-war versions of the Austin Seven, the ‘Frogeye’ was fitted with a 948cc A-Series engine and shared parts from numerous other vehicles in the BMC stable. That makes this one very easy car to maintain. Just hop behind the wheel, revel in the purity of it and suddenly you understand why legions of buyers have fallen in love with it over the decades. You’ll see around 80mph out of a standard car – but there are plenty of tuned examples out there. Whatever you end up with, you can have huge fun well within the national speed limit, as this is a car that always feels faster than it is. We need more of that in the world!  
**The inspection**

**ENGINE** While later Sprites had 1098cc or 1275cc engines, the ‘Frogeye’ only got the 948cc unit – in standard guise at least. Lots, like this one, have been modified, so make sure you have evidence these mods were done properly.

**CABIN** It’s basic inside and the trim is delightfully simple. It can all be refreshed without breaking the bank, so can probably be considered among the least of your concerns when buying a Frogeye.

**BODY** The Sprite is of a very clever monocoque design which means the strength of what lies beneath that pretty face really matters. Be wary of fresh underseal that could be masking horrors beneath and pay particular attention to the panel gaps and alignment.  
Firstly, it’s wise to decide what level of DIY skills you are in possession of, because the Sprite’s clever monocoque body shell can harbour wallet-emptying amounts of corrosion if you buy a bad one. Bodged and filler stuffed so-called ‘restorations’ are still out there, so allocate an appropriate amount of time to inspect the car inside and out before you commit to buying. Rot spots include the lower wings and door bottoms, while it’s not uncommon to discover crusty metal around the A-posts, wheel arches and battery tray. The seams between wings and bonnet/ boot panels are another problem area, so take a close look at those areas, while the inner sills need careful checking even if the outers look fine. Check the quality of the chrome plating on the brightwork. If you can, get the car on a ramp and check the state of the bulkheads, jacking points – plus the floors of the cabin and boot. Repairs here can be a major undertaking and, obviously, the lack of a boot lid hampers access, so be vigilant. Look for a gap of three inches between the rear wheelarch and the tyre. Anything much less and it could mean that the rear spring boxes have dissolved.  
That delightfully revvy A-series engine just needs the usual health checks. Look for at least 40psi of oil pressure when it has warmed up and listen out for the rumble of worn big-end bearings. Excessive blue smoke from the exhaust points to valve stem oil seals on the overrun or cylinder bores that are past their best and check for escaping oil (a leaking crank scroll seal is an A-series bugbear) and coolant and any signs of cylinder head gasket failure. Fuel and ignition systems are thankfully cheap and easy to overhaul.  
The clatter of a worn timing chain and valve-gear is often the result of neglected oil changes but a top end overhaul is both cheap and straightforward. A spin-on oil filter conversion is good news when it comes to improving lubrication, though. Look for signs of overheating caused by a silted-up cooling system. Lastly, with upgrades and engine swaps so common, make sure that you quiz the vendor about the car’s exact specification.  
The four-speed gearbox – donated by the A35 – lacks synchromesh on first, but should shift sweetly. Second gear synchromesh is usually the first to go once the ‘box is worn and check for jumping out of gear on the over-run. The Frogeye’s gearbox has ratios more suited to the Austin A30, so fitting the ’box from a later Spridget is a good idea for those in need of a more relaxing drive. The ratios are far better spaced, and the gearing is raised at the same time. It’s also worth listening out for knocking from the rear caused by wear in the half shaft splines and checking that the back axle is still oil tight.  
Vague handling will need investigation so take a good look at the lever-arm dampers and springs, the latter of which can rust and fracture. Rock the front wheels with the car off the ground (if you can) to reveal wear in kingpins and wheel bearings. Stiff steering suggests a lack of regular lubrication. The all-round drum brakes are trouble-free unless neglected, but don’t be surprised to find a Midget disc conversion at the front, especially if a bigger engine has been fitted.  
You needn’t worry too much about a cabin that’s in need of renovation as long as the bodywork is in sound condition; every part is available – although it’s worth checking the condition of the hood and making sure that the wiring hasn’t degraded through age. Rubber mats were fitted originally, although these are likely to have been ditched in favour of carpets; either way, be sure to peek underneath for signs of hidden frilly floor sections. Modification is often a fun way of increasing appeal of a Frogeye for modern roads. Swapping the standard engine for a 1098cc or 1275cc lump is easy; the latter will give you 75-80bhp after a bit of tuning (air filter, carbs, spicier camshaft and maybe some cylinder head work). Lots of Mini bits fit, too. If you fit a 1275cc engine, it’s easy to swap the standard cylinder head for a Metro A+ item, enabling you to use unleaded petrol. While you’re at it, fit a fruitier camshaft; the Midget and Sprite Club recommends an AC Dodd item from A-series guru, ML Motorsport.  
Meanwhile, fitting a thicker anti-roll bar from a later Spridget pays dividends, while poly bushes will help to stiffen things up nicely. Finally, with unassisted drums all-round, the Frogeye isn’t overburdened with stopping power, but help is at hand in the form of a front disc setup from a Spridget. For even more stopping power, you can plumb in a servo, but chances are you won’t need this. It’s a lightweight zinger of a car – a classic British sports car that’ll never fail to put a grin on your face!

No more than it needs to be – Frogeye has perfect proportions.  
  
**WHAT TO PAY**  
**PROJECT** £2000-£3000  
**GOOD** £6000-£8500  
**EXCELLENT** £15,000-£20,000  
**TECH SPEC**  
**ENGINE** 948CC/4-CYL/OHV  
**POWER** 43BHP@5000RPM  
**TORQUE** 52LB FT@3300RPM  
**GEARBOX** 4-SPEED MANUAL  
**TOP SPEED** 83MPH   
**0-60MPH** 16SEC   
**ECONOMY** 33-41MPG  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**Austin-Healey Club UK,** :a[austinhealeyclub.com]{href='https://austinhealeyclub.com' }   
**Healey Drivers’ Club,** :a[healeydriversclub.co.uk]{href='https://healeydriversclub.co.uk' }   
**Midget and Sprite Club,** :a[midgetandspriteclub.com]{href='https://midgetandspriteclub.com' }  
  
**WHAT IT’S LIKE TO OWN A FROGEYE SPRITE**  
**Danny Hopkins** on reuniting with a special old friend of the mag

PC’s project cars from 45 years ago reunite.  
Frogeye Sprites have appeared periodically in the pages of Practical Classics over the past 45 years but there’s one that stands out for us. Back in the May 1980 issue, our very first, the we offered a 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite as a competition prize. The inner of that competition was the brother of current keeper Colin Robinson from Gloucestershire, for whom that time was especially precious. ‘I went with Richard to collect his prize from the then editor, Paul Skilleter, at Practical Classics HQ, at that time based in Malvern. It was so exciting for two young brothers, aged just 21 and  
17!’ The pair drove ‘JPH’ home to Reading in heavy rain. ‘The hood wasn't the best fit, so I had to hold onto it from inside to stop the slipstream lifting it up!’ Richard joined the Austin-Healey Club, and they started going to events. By now he'd moved to Shrewsbury, where he drove the Sprite regularly with one of his two daughters, Emily and Sophie.  
Colin says his brother passed away in 2008 after a long battle with cancer. ‘Shortly before, we talked about the Frogeye and I agreed to be its custodian, promising to keep it in the family as an heirloom. It will never be sold on.’  
From before the prize giving, and since, the Sprite has a rich history and still runs its original 948cc engine. Apparently the 1980 **Practical Classics** team bought it from a musician in St John's Wood in London and were particularly happy the car had a rust-free and original steel bonnet – it is fitted to the car to this day!

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