Classic Car Reviews

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Allegro: A Clever Classic Choice?

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Allegro: A Clever Classic Choice?

For many, the 1970’s failed on so many levels; power cuts, strikes and football violence, a decade of ‘dubious’ music and fashion with average automobiles.

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Marston – Sunbeam Spirit

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Marston – Sunbeam Spirit

John Marston 1869-1918 created The Sunbeam brand and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to proclaim he influenced all forms of transport on a Global scale.

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No Smoke without Fire – American La France

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No Smoke without Fire – American La France

The earliest racing machines enjoy a huge presence, rarity and price tag to match, the alternative? A US Speedster that offered ‘muscle’ long before the phrase became popular. It matters not your personal taste in motor vehicles, some machines just rock you down to your boots. This is true of the American La France Type 12 Speedster. If the sheer size (17ft long) doesn’t affect you, the details will certainly make you think. A straight six, 125bhp 14.5 litre engine with 18 spark plugs, 3 per cylinder with 2 coils feeding 12 plugs and the other 6 running to a magneto. The pistons are 5 1/2 inches in diameter thus you are doing well at 8mpg. The La France had no front breaks and the rears are contracting bands, offering a real challenge when bringing a 3.5 ton vehicle to a halt. The handbrake is often used when needed but prone to lock the wheels if over applied, something to consider at 90mph which is perfectly achievable once overdosed on ‘brave pills’; all this from 1914.

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 5

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 5

A look back over the past century and beyond at the manufacturers that once produced transport for the masses….

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Less is More the Cortina Fleet

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Less is More the Cortina Fleet

Classic car values increase the higher the spec, the top of the range is normally the one to have. One car so rare, it has transformed from the undesirable model to the version topping the must have list, if you can find one…

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 4

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 4

A look back over the past century and beyond at the manufacturers that once produced transport for the masses….

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There’s Nothing Standard about the Twelve

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There’s Nothing Standard about the Twelve

One of the many ‘horseless carriage’ providers to set up in the Midlands just at the start of the 1900s was the Standard Motor Company which began life in Coventry in 1903.

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Volvo Amazon – A Female Warrior Turns 60

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Volvo Amazon – A Female Warrior Turns 60

The new car was the company’s second postwar model, following on from the PV444, and had been named Amason – spelled with an ‘s’. The name came from Greek mythology, in which the Amazons were female warriors

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The Mighty Stutz Model AA Vertical 8

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The Mighty Stutz Model AA Vertical 8

Indianapolis and powerful engines were synonymous with a brand, originally founded in 1911 by Harry C Stutz under a different name ‘The Ideal Motor Company’ and located not far from the world famous speedway that was built just two years previously to help the flourishing motor industry within the State of Indiana.

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 3

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Vanished Vehicles – Part 3

A look back over the past century and beyond at the manufacturers that once produced transport for the masses….

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