PRACTICAL CLASSICs - june 2018
In the latest issue of Practical Classics...
....we take two iconic cars on a remarkable journey to celebrate their 70th birthdays. Starting at the former Morris works in Cowley, we drive a ‘lowlight’ Morris Minor alongside an early 2CV to the site of the Citroen factory in Paris. Given that both cars were recently restored by Practical Classics and they have less than 50bhp combined, it was quite the journey…
We also see how the senior designer responsible for the ZX Spectrum took thirty years to restore his incredible BMW, we chat with the former Chairman and Chief Executive of the Austin Rover Group who reveals some fascinating facts about some of Britain’s best selling cars and there’s loads of advice on restoring and maintaining your classic. No other classic car magazine does this much!
CITROEN 2CV AND MORRIS MINOR 70th BIRTHDAY!
Seventy years after they were unveiled, here are two cars - the accurate embodiment of their countries of origin – which are nowadays justifiably regarded as two of the most important in automotive history. Both record-breaking best sellers, they were not only an intrinsic part of the daily lives of millions, they are also culturally significant: They helped to mobilise two post-war nations. Both of our cars were, until recently, in tiny pieces, rusty and abandoned. We toiled for months, restoring and rebuilding them from scratch, in time for PC to celebrate their 70th birthdays – and our big trip from the Morris works in Cowley to the 2CV factory in Paris. Full story in the new issue
BMW RESTORATION
When Rick Dickinson bought his BMW 3.0 CSL homologation special, one of just 500 to come to the UK, for £3000 in 1983, it was because a more family-friendly car was required alongside his Triumph TR6. ’My daughter Grace had just been born and we needed more seats,’ he recalls. Granted, Rick had hankered after one since a teenager, but BVX 94L’s primary raison d’etre was as everyday transport.
At the time Rick was working for Sinclair Research in Cambridge as Sir Clive Sinclair’s senior designer, where he’d been responsible for the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum computers. So, as well as driving a design masterpiece, he was producing his own as well, albeit in a different field…
BEHIND THE SCENES AT AUSTIN ROVER
Harold Musgrove’s career started in 1946, as an apprentice at BMC. Working through the management ranks he ended up running Bathgate, the giant BMC truck plant and stayed in Truck and Bus until Michael Edwards promoted him to Manufacturing Director of Austin Morris. ‘On my first day in the job at Austin Morris I was handed four pages of disputes and layoffs going on across the company.
Car division’s efficiency was just 65%, and quality of the current Austin Morris products was poor. We started to turn the situation around’. Read Harold’s fascinating story in the new issue…
OUR CARS AND TECH STUFF!
