Coachwork by Henri Chapron

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension; plus power-operated brakes, clutch and steering.

The project had been initiated in the 1930s by the company's managing director, Pierre-Jules Boulanger, and would be brought to fruition by designers Andre Lefebvre, previously with Voisin and Renault, and Flaminio Bertoni, who had worked on the styling of the pre-war Traction Avant. Part of Boulanger's brief had been that the proposed 'VGD' (Voiture de Grand Diffusion or Mass Market Car) should be capable of affording a comfortable ride over sub-standard rural roads while remaining stable at sustained high speeds on the Autoroutes. The solution to these seemingly incompatible requirements was the famous hydro-pneumatic suspension, suggested by Citroën engineer, Paul Mages. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival into the 21st Century.

In September 1965 the DS's original 1.911 cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine – inherited from the Traction Avant - was replaced by a short-stroke 1.985 cc unit, also available in 2.175 cc and 2.347 cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox. Other models offered alongside the original DS were the ID (a simplified, cheaper version), the cavernous Safari estate and the two-door Décapotable (convertible), the latter boasting coachwork by Henri Chapron. Chapron's first convertibles had been produced independently of Citroën but the factory eventually gave the project its blessing. Citroën's own Décapotables were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate). In total, 1.365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971, while Chapron built a further 389 of his own, the last in 1973.

Recorded in the Registro Italiano Storiche Citroën (RIASC), chassis number '440 70 56', the car offered here, comes with an email printout from Chapron confirming that the company's archives contain details of its construction as a convertible. Restored circa 2008 while in the hands of its previous owner, the car was inspected (prior to the current vendor's purchase) by the highly respected specialist, Fabrizio Libera of Polverara, Italy. The car has had two owners (in Italy) since 2002, and their details and those of previous owners may be found in the accompanying history file. Described by the vendor as in generally very good condition, this magnificent and rare piece of French motoring history car received a 3rd place award at the Valli Biellesi - Oasi Zegna concours d'élégance in 2016. An eye-catcher at any gathering, it comes with Italian registration papers, ASI and FIVA documents, Citroën Italia certificate, and the aforementioned communication from Chapron.

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Sold for € 207.000

Estimated : € 170.000 - 210.000

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2017

Often described as Britain's first supercar (a little late, Italy beat us to that like 5 years earlier!), but the Aston Martin V8 and the derivative Vantage helped keep the company afloat during those dark years of bankruptcy and recovery, even though it almost committed corporate suicide by developing the overly complicated Lagonda!

The original Aston Martin V8 was a coupé manufactured from 1969 to 1989, built to replace the Aston Martin DBS, a more angular car that killed off the DB6, and by extension the iconic design that had eminated through the James Bond DB5. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely handbuilt, with each car requiring 1,200 manhours to finish. Aston Martin's customers had been clamouring for an eight-cylinder car for years, so Aston Martin designed a larger car. The engine was not ready, however, so in 1967 the company released the DBS with the straight-six Vantage engine from the DB6. Two years later, Tadek Marek's V8 was ready, and Aston released the DBS V8. With the demise of the straight-six Vantage in 1973, the DBS V8, now restyled and called simply the Aston Martin V8, became the company's mainstream car for nearly two decades. It was retired in favour of the Virage in 1989.

The Aston Martin V8 Vantage on the other hand took the original bodyshell of this 60's sports coupé, and completely re-engineered it to create something that was not of this earth! The first series had 375hp, and series specific details such as a blanked bonnet vent and a separate rear spoiler, of which 38 of these were built.

The Vantage name had previously been used on a number of high-performance versions of Aston Martin cars, but this was a separate model. Although based on the Aston Martin V8, numerous detail changes added up to a unique driving experience. One of the most noticeable features was the closed-off hood bulge rather than the open scoop found on the normal V8. The grille area was also closed off, with twin driving lights inserted and a spoiler added to the bootlid.

Upon its introduction in 1977, the car's incredible speed and power was taken up with acclaim, and, as mentioned, was dubbed 'Britain's first supercar', with a top speed of 170 mph top speed. Its engine was shared with the Lagonda, but it used high-performance camshafts, increased compression ratio, larger inlet valves and bigger carburettors mounted on new manifolds for increased output. Straight-line performance was the best of the day, with acceleration from 0–60 mph in 5.3 seconds, one-tenth of a second quicker than the Ferrari Daytona.

The Oscar India version, introduced in late 1978, featured an integrated tea-tray spoiler and smoother bonnet bulge. Inside, a black leather-covered dash replaced the previous walnut. The wooden dashboard did find its way back into the Vantage during the eighties, giving a more luxurious appearance. The Oscar India version also received a slight increase in power, to 390hp. This line was produced, with some running changes, until 1989. From 1986 the engine had 403hp.

1986 saw the introduction of X-Pack was a further upgrade, with Cosworth pistons and Nimrod racing-type heads producing 403hp. A big bore after-market option was also available from Works Service, with 50mm carbs and straight-through exhaust system giving 432hp, the same engine as fitted to the limited-edition V8 Zagato. 16-inch wheels were also now fitted. A 450hp 6.3L version was also available from Aston Martin, and independent manufacturers offered a 7L version just to up the ante.

In 1986, the Vantage had its roof cut off into what would become the convertible Vantage Volante, basically identical. In 1987 The Prince of Wales took delivery of a Vantage Volante, but at his request without the production car's wider wheelarches, front air dam and side skirts. This became known as the 'Prince of Wales Spec' (or POW) and around another 26 such cars were built by the factory.

The Prince was obviously very specific about his motorcars!

304 Series 2 Vantage coupés were built, including 131 X-Packs and 192 Volantes. Volante's are often considered the most desirable of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage range. In all, 534 V8 Vantages were constructed during its 12 year production run, with the car being replaced in 1989 by the Aston Martin Virage, as well as a new generation V8 Vantage which remained somewhat faithful to the original design of the 60's (if not a little more bulky) and was the last Aston Martin design to incorporate a traditional style before changing to the style laid down by the DB7 in 1993.

However, the Vantage did find its way into movie fame as the first Aston Martin used in a James Bond movie since the DBS used in On Her Majesty's Secret Service in 1969. In 1987's 'The Living Daylights' (the first film to star Timothy Dalton as 007), Bond was treated to Q-Branch's Aston Martin V8 Vantage, complete with missiles, lasers to separate pesky Lada's from their chassis, and a heads-up display to assist in warding off evildoers. It also came with a 'Winter Pack', which included skis, a rocket propulsion and spiked tyres for better grip. The car however met an unfortunate demise after getting stuck in a snowdrift, forcing Bond to activate the self-destruct, engulfing the car in a fiery explosion. But at least everyone's favourite secret agent had finally been reunited with his faithful Aston Martin once again!

There is some slight incongruity with the film though, as at the beginning of the movie, the car is a convertible Volante, yet for the rest of the movie it's a hardtop regular Vantage. This confused me somewhat, or perhaps whilst Bond had the car shipped he had a roof welded on in the meantime!

Today there are a fair number of Vantages roaming the countryside, their popular design, pedigree Bond Car status and sheer raw power keeping them truly afloat. In fact, these cars are much more prominent than the Virage that replaced it, of which you barely see any!

Mini 850 Mk.III (1969-76) Engine 848cc S4 Tr OHV

Registration Number JPC 603 K

MINI (BL) SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623797597842...

The Mark III Mini had a modified bodyshell with enough alterations to see the factory code change from ADO15 to ADO20 (which it shared with the Clubman). The most obvious changes were larger doors with concealed hinges. Customer demand led to the sliding windows being replaced with winding windows—although some Australian-manufactured Mark I Minis had adopted this feature in 1965 (with opening quarterlight windows). The suspension reverted from Hydrolastic to rubber cones

Production at the Cowley plant was ended in 1969, and the simple name Mini completely replaced the separate Austin and Morris brands. In April 1974, a heater became standard equipment on the entry-level Mini 850, as well, having by then already been included in the standard specification of the other models for some time

This car was originally supplied by Swain & Jones in Farnham, with an invoice totalling £669.00 and registered on 14th December 1971, with the optional extras of a heater - £ 11 and seat belts £ 6-50, a one owner car with only 30,000 miles, It was offered for sale at the H+H Brooklands Auction of 8th March 2014, with an Estimate of £ 4 - 5500 selling for £ 5152.

A big thankyou for an incredible 23.7 Million views

Shot 06:03:2014 at Brooklands REF 101-501

Driving cab of one of TransPennine Express Nova 1 or Class 802 five car bimode trains. The train was seen at Edinburgh Waverley after a test run prior to their regular introduction on Edinburgh-Liverpool services via Newcastle, York, Leeds and Manchester, from 15 Dec 2019. The Hitachi built trains had their bodyshells fabricated at Kasado (Japan) and the trains were assembled at Pistoia (Italy). Nineteen of these trains were ordered for TransPennine Express.

I have to confess to not being a great fan of the Class 56, which visually has always struck me as a poor relation of the Class 47, although in reality the 3,250hp freight locomotive was the first 'second generation' UK diesel type. For expediency, the bodyshell was actually based on the Class 47 but with some clumsy front-end details. 135 examples were built between 1976 and 1983. The initial contract was awarded to Brush Traction who, because of insufficient capacity at its Loughborough works, subcontracted the work to Electroputere in Romania. Dissatisfied with the Romania product, British Rail brought the work in house after the first thirty examples. The remainder were built at BREL Doncaster and Crewe. In service they proved to be strong and capable locomotives but maintenance costs were high and, notwithstanding significant investment in the early 1990s, they could not compete with the more modern Class 66 in terms of availability and maintenance costs. Most had gone by 2004, although a few were surprisingly re-instated for infrastructure work in France. The base image for this fictional rendition in Class 47-style two-tone green was taken by David Little in March 2008 - see the DB-Schenker version for more details (01-Aug-10).

STRICTLY COPYRIGHT: You may download a copy for your personal use, but it would be an offence to remove the coyright information or post elsewhere without the express permission of the copyright owner

Collection Adrian Van Lerber

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 15.000 - 20.000

Sold for € 16.100

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary Traction Avant, Citroën stunned the world in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled DS. Beneath the newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering. With the DS's introduction, Citroën stole a significant advantage over the competition. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in computer-controlled form into the 21st Century. From 1956, a simplified ID19 version became available lacking the hydraulic power-assists, though these were restored as the ID's specification improved over the years. Exterior trim was reduced and the interior too was toned down, with the instruments' chromed bezels replaced by plastic items. This simplified entry-level model was intended to reassure potential new customers that the car was reliable.

First registered in 1959, this manual-transmission ID19 has 6-volt electrics and the original 'red fluid' hydraulic system. The car has been in the current owner's collection for approximately 10 years. The engine has been overhauled, the bodywork partially restored, and the seats re-upholstered; apart from that the car is mostly original. Finished in red with matching interior, this very honest and original ID19 is offered with sundry invoices, FIVA identity card, 2016 MFK (TüV), and Swiss Registration papers.

DJG 858C displayed at the Festival of Steam and Transport 2019. Historic Dockyard Chatham.

Produced from 1962 until 1966 as the upmarket version of the Ford Zephyr. The Zodiac used a slightly different bodyshell with a better roofline and improved rear doors. Probably not different enough to be really noticeable unless you were already aware of the changes. Twin headlights replacing the single units on the Zephyr was something that stood out.

Three stages in the development of my resin Movano bodyshells. The grey one is the original metal master modified from the ambulance kit, from which a mould was made. In the centre is one of the resin castings as it came out of the mould and before any cleaning up, and on the right is the finished product. All of the initial batch of 15 have already been sold but I am taking names for a second run - these are only suitable for experienced modellers though as they are supplied as bodyshells only and it is the buyer's responsibility to provide their own running gear, interior and glazing.

Coachwork by Henri Chapron

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Sold for € 218.500

Zoute Grand Prix 2017

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2017

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the strikingly styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension; plus power-operated brakes, clutch, and steering. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in top-of-the-range models until earlier this year. The DS's original 1,911cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine was replaced in 1966 by a short-stroke 1,985cc unit, also available in 2,175cc and 2,347cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection and a five-speed gearbox.

Other models offered alongside the original DS were the ID (a simplified, cheaper version), the cavernous Safari estate and the two-door Décapotable (convertible), the latter boasting coachwork by Henri Chapron. (Chapron's first convertibles had been produced independently of Citroën, but the factory eventually gave the project its blessing). Henri Chapron started his career in the motor industry as an upholsterer's apprentice, working for various coachbuilders in the Paris area. In 1919 he started his own business in the well-to-do Parisian suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine where his main activity was re-bodying cars that had been requisitioned in wartime by the French Government. Chapron moved to larger premises in Levallois-Perret in 1923 and became the official builder of coach and convertible models for Delage and Delahaye, going on to body many of the most elegant French and European automobiles of the inter-war period.

Despite a much-reduced demand for bespoke coachwork after WW2, Chapron survived thanks to his exemplary creations for Delahaye, Talbot and Salmson, switching to offering bespoke versions of unitary construction models when motor manufacturers began to abandon the traditional separate chassis frame. The arrival of the Citroën DS in 1955 presented Chapron with a fresh opportunity that would result in his name being forever linked with this remarkable car.

Citroën's own Décapotables were built on the longer, stronger chassis of the ID Break (Estate) but the model was never produced in England, where Citroën's right-hand drive cars were assembled at its Slough factory up to 1966. In total, 1,365 usine (factory) convertibles were made with either the DS19 or DS21 engine between 1960 and 1971, while Chapron built a further 389 of his own, the last in 1973.

According to the Henri Chapron Attestation on file, this car was built by Citroën in November 1966 and sent to the Charon Factory in Levallois Perret on the 24th of that month. Production number '9088', this car was built in the Chapron workshops as were all the convertibles marketed by Citroën at this time. It was completed on 28th February 1967 and returned to Citroën to be sold by one of the company's concessionaires. Citroën had introduced the superior green Light Hydraulic Mineral (LHM) fluid on all hydro-pneumatically suspended models in September 1966, making this car one of the first to benefit from this advance. Having the pre-facelift nose and the green LHM system makes this car particularly rare; indeed we are advised that only 42 DS21 Décapotable models were completed to this specification.

On 27th March 1967 the DS was sold new via the Citroën dealer in Nice to its first owner, Mr Jean Thore of Eze in the South of France. Mr Thore and Mme Dominique Thore enjoyed the car for 34 years. They always kept it at Eze and covered approximately 90,000 kilometres during their ownership.

In 2001, Australian Mr John Plooy was looking for a 'green fluid' DS21 Cabriolet and chanced upon this car. He wanted to keep the Citroën in the Netherlands and use it for annual trips to Italy. When the car arrived in Holland, Mr Plooy immediately sent it to marque specialist Bart Kocken; it turned out to be in excellent original condition, with no rust or evidence of past accident damage. Mr Plooy commissioned a mechanical overhaul of anything that required it, and had the car repainted and a new convertible top fitted.

This Décapotable retains its original chassis, body panels, interior, Jaeger dashboard, carpets and FM radio, and is in excellent original condition overall, something seldom encountered with these cars. Mr Plooy drove the DS only some 10,000 kilometres over the years, and in 2017 decided to sell it, having reached the age of 80 years. Offered with its original tools, jack, Chapron paperwork, etc, this rare and ultra-desirable soft-top DS is ready for the next owner to use and enjoy.

VNC-1 (93-KE-1919)

Volvo B6BLE / Northern Counties Paladin.

Resin body shell and 'concocted' interior

Notes:Mirror Image Models NCME Paladin bodyshell, rebuilt front details, considerably modified rear profile and second door added. Interior constructed from EFE Wright interior cut up and mounted on scratch built floor and chassis cut to length. Additional details are MIM etched wipers, mirrors and window frames. Transfers are all home produced.

Bodyshells.

Austin Healey Sprite (Frogeye) Mk.1 (1958-61) Engine 948cc S4 OHV BMC A Series Production 38999

Registration Number XAD 377 (Gloucester)

AUSTIN HEALEY SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759812996...

The first of the Austun Healey Sprite's, nicknamed Frogeye for obvious reasons (or Bugeye in the USA), with a one piece lift up bonnet-wing assembly. First announced to the press in Monte Carlo May 1958. just ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix and intended as a low cost sports car for the enthusiast. The Sprite was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, with production being undertaken by Austin-Healey. It first went on sale at a price of £669, using a tuned version of the Austin A-Series engine and as many other components from existing cars as possible to keep costs down, the car was produced at the MG plant in Abingdon.

It was originally intended that the headlights would be retractable and sit in the wings, facing upward when not in use, simular to the much later Porsche 928, but the flip up arangement was abandoned at the design stage to maintain low costs. The body was styled by Gerry Coker, with subsequent alterations by Les Ireland following Coker's emigration to the US in 1957. The car's distinctive frontal styling bore a strong resemblance to the defunct American 1951 Crosley Super Sport.

The problem of providing a rigid structure to an open-topped sports car was resolved by Barry Bilbie, Healey's chassis designer, who adapted the idea provided by the Jaguar D-type, with rear suspension forces routed through the bodyshell's floor pan. The Sprite's chassis design was the world's first volume-production sports car to use unitary construction, where the sheet metal body panels (apart from the bonnet) take many of the structural stresses. The original metal gauge (thickness of steel) of the rear structure specified by Bilbie was reduced by the Austin Design Office during prototype build, however during testing at M.I.R.A. (Motor Industry Research Association) distortion and deformation of the rear structure occurred and the original specification was reinstated.

The 43 bhp, 948 cc OHV engine (coded 9CC) was derived from the Austin A35 & Morris Minor 1000 models, but upgraded with twin 11⁄8" inch SU carburettors. The rack and pinion steering was derived from the Morris Minor 1000 and the front suspension from the Austin A35.

Many thanks for a fantabulous 37,511,900 views

Shot at the Haynes International Motor Museum Sparkford, Somerset 23rd June 2015 Ref 107-026

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 260.000 - 300.000

Zoute Grand Prix 2017

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2017

Porsche's first take on a convertible 911 had been the Targa model of 1965, a 'halfway house' design chosen because of fears that a genuine soft-top would not meet US Federal safety regulations, but by 1981 the company felt able to proceed with the genuine article. Introduced in normally aspirated 3.0-litre form in 1982, the 911 Cabriolet lost little, if any, rigidity with the deletion of the Targa roll-over bar, while its speedily raised/lowered top featured a detachable, zip-fastened rear window. The 911 Cabriolet proved a hit from the moment of its debut at the Geneva Salon in March 1982 and by the end of the 1983 model year had sold over 4,000 units, a total some 50% higher than that achieved by the cheaper Targa version.

Completing the soft-top 911 line-up was the Speedster, which revived a charismatic model from Porsche's past when it arrived for 1989, the name previously having been applied to that most stylish of the many Type 356 variants. Based on the 911 Turbo Cabriolet, though normally aspirated, the 3.2-litre Speedster was launched immediately prior to the introduction of the new Type 964 bodyshell and thus was the last 911 model to feature the old-style body based on the original design of 1963.

The latter was reworked by chief stylist Tony Lapine, incorporating numerous references to the original 356 Speedster as well as a pair of controversial 'camel hump' cowlings behind the seats that concealed the stowed-away manual hood, a simplified affair described by the factory as for 'temporary' use. From 1984 Porsche offered the 'Turbo Look' body style - flared wheelarches, large rear wing and deeper front spoiler - on its normally aspirated models including the Speedster, the vast majority of which were ordered with this option. One of the rarest of the 911 family, the Speedster was built for the 1989 season only, a mere 2,065 cars being completed.

The Speedster was collected from the factory in August 1989 and shipped to the USA where it was registered in the Porsche Berkey dealership's name. However, first owner Heinrichs did not drive the car, which had covered only 60 miles by 2008 when he sold it. In 2008 this little-used Speedster returned to Europe and was bought by a Switzerland-resident French citizen, who kept the car (French registered) in Paris. ON the Porsche's return to Europe the speedometer was changed from miles to kilometres per hour by an official Porsche dealership. Of course, the original mph odometer has remained with the car as a proof of its ultra-low mileage. At the same time the Speedster was brought up to European specification (the third stoplight and US rear bumper come with the car).

Its owner registered the Porsche in 2008 and it is only then that the mileage started to increase, albeit slowly, from 800 kilometres in 2008 to 1,600 now. Although only driven infrequently, the car has been serviced on a regular basis:

Lotus Elite Type 75 (1974-80) Engine 1973cc S4 DOC Production 2398

Registration Number MPC 109 P (Guildford)

LOTUS SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671671113...

First of the new generation cars from Lotus, still built around a backbone frame but now with a 98 inch wheelbase. Glass fibre body with concealed headlights and large glass hatch back.

The Elite type 75 was a larger and more upmarket car than its forbearers, intended to move the company away from its kit car past. and a replacement for the ageing Lotus Elan Plus 2. The Elite was configured as a small shooting brake with a glass rear hatch opening into the luggage compartment. It was front-engined with rear wheel drive. The Elite's fibreglass bodyshell was mounted on a steel backbone chassis evolved from the Elan and Europa. It had 4-wheel independent suspension using coil springs. The Elite was Lotus' first car to use the 907 aluminium-block 4-valve, DOHC, four-cylinder engine of 1973cc which had previously been used in the Jensen Healey. The Elite had a claimed drag co-efficient of 0.30 and at the time of launch it was the world's most expensive four-cylinder car. The Elite's striking shape was designed by Oliver Winterbottom. He is quoted as saying that the basic chassis and suspension layout were designed by Colin Chapman, making the Elite and its sister design the Eclat the last Lotus road cars to have significant design input from Chapman himself. The Elite went on to be the base for the Eclat, and the later Excel 2+2 coupés. and were available in 4 main specification variations, 501, 502, 503, and later on 504

In 1980 the Elite type 75 was replaced by the Elite Mark 2 Type 83 powered by a larger 2,174 cc (132.7 cu in) Lotus 912 engine. and continued until 1982

Many thanks for a fantabulous 44,108,324 views

Shot at the Silverstone Classic 14-15 July 2015- Ref 109-568

56086 is stabled at Shirebrook on a Saturday afternoon, 20th June 1981.

Locomotive History

56086 was built at Doncaster works and entered traffic in December 1980. After eighteen years service it was stored in August 1999 at Immingham where it would spend the next eight years until it was sold for preservation in 2008 and moved to the Battlefield Line at Shackerstone where it was returned to traffic. However in July 2012, Europhoenix purchased 56086 from the Battlefield Line for use in Hungary but decided to strip the locomotive for spares instead and the bodyshell was broken up by EMR, Kingsbury in March 2013.

The BMW E34 is the third generation of the BMW 5 Series produced from 1987-96, the M5 from 1988

There was an unusually large range of engines fitted over its lifetime as nine different engine families were used. These consisted of 1796cc straight-four, 1991cc, 2494cc, 2986cc, 3430cc, 3535cc and 3795cc straight-six and 2997cc and 3982cc V8 engines.

An update in 1991 saw a new interior with wooden decor

1992; new rounded exterior mirrors and hubcaps.

1994; wider grille.

The M5 painted bodyshells were transported to a different factory where they were hand built. The M5 got unique front and rear bumpers and side rocker panels, unique 3 piece wheels and interior updates included a unique gearshift surround and rear headrests.

M5 engine; 311hp 3535cc 6 cyl, 1992 on; 335hp 3795cc 6 cyl

Northern Trains 322481 stands in Platform 9 having just arrived with 2V17, 09:10 Ilkley – Leeds, 27th July 2016.

Unit History

In the late 1980’s British Rail built a branch off the London Liverpool Street – Cambridge Line to serve Stanstead Airport. Five new four car electric multiple units were built at York to work the new service becoming class 322. They are similar to the class 321 units and are the last units based on the Mark III bodyshell. The class worked the Stanstead services until displaced in 1997 when four units moved to North West Trains for Manchester – Euston semi-fast duties. The four units returned to East Anglia in 1999 before moving to Scotrail in 2001 for duties around Edinburgh. In 2011 the class moved to Northern Rail for duties around Leeds.

Arrived Sims Metals, Newport for breaking up on the 4th August 2022.

Apart from the issue with getting the chassis fitted under the bodyshell, this one was a pleasure to put together.

Ref. 26-1611.

Audi 80 GL (1972-1976).

Escala 1/43.

Testauftrag >S<.

Schuco.

Made in Germany.

Production year: 1976.

"Schuco no. 26-1611 Test order S, from the 1976 series "For test drivers". Apart from actuality, what was special about these modellautos, that they could be divided into about 15 to 20 individual parts and thus the slogan test assignment got a special significance! (...)"

Source: www.autostadt.de/de/eshops/audi-80-gl.html

(original text in german language)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AUDI 80 (B1)

"The Audi 80 was developed by Ludwig Kraus and was presented in 1972.

It quickly became the bestseller in the lower middle class.

With a facelift in September 1976, the style of the Audi 80 was aligned towards that of the Audi 100, which had just been launched.

The Audi 80 GL was the top model in the series. Front-wheel drive, negative steering scrub radius and diagonal brake circuit distribution provided for driving safety even in adverse conditions."

Engine: 4-cylinder inline engine

Displacement: 1,297 cc to 1,588 cc

Power: from 55 hp at 5,500 rpm to 110 hp at 6,000 rpm

Series: 07/1972-09/1978

Production: 932,403 cars (without US models)

Source:

www.audi-me.com/me/brand/en/company/audi_history/Evolutio...

www.audi-me.com/me/brand/en/company/audi_history/Evolutio...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Audi 80 (B1) (1972-1978)

"This model debuted in Europe in 1972 as the Audi 80, and in 1973 in Australia and North America (Canada and the USA) as the Audi Fox, and was available as either a two-door or a four-door saloon (sedan).

It effectively took the place of several models that Audi had discontinued (the F103 series, which included the first model designated as an "Audi 80"), and provided the company with a viable rival to the Opel Ascona and the Ford Taunus (Ford Cortina in the UK), as well as more upmarket offerings including the Alfa Romeo Alfetta and Triumph Dolomite."

"The Audi 80 B1 was only the second modern-era Audi product to be developed entirely under Volkswagen ownership - Audi chief engineer Ludwig Kraus had famously been disparaging about the outgoing F103 series, referring to it as the "bastard", owing to its Auto Union/DKW bodyshell and Mercedes-Benz engine.

The B1 was a clean break from the Auto Union era, being equipped with.a range of brand new 1.3- and 1.5-litre SOHC inline-four petrol engines - the first appearance of the now legendary EA827 series of engines, whose descendants are still used in VW Group vehicles to the present day."

(...)

"On the home market, two- and four- door saloons were available in base trim (55 or 60 PS, called simply Audi 80 and 80 S, respectively), as L models (LS with 75 PS engine) or as a more luxurious GL (85 PS only).

In September 1973, Audi added the sporty 80 GT (two-door only) featuring a carburettor 1.6 litre engine (code: XX) rated at 100 PS (74 kW; 99 bhp)."

(...)

"Audi's design and development efforts paid off during the 1973 European Car of the Year competition where the 80 won ahead of the Renault 5 and the Alfa Romeo Alfetta.

A facelift in autumn 1976 brought about a revised front end in the style of the newly introduced Audi 100 C2 with square instead of round headlights, 1.6- instead of 1.5 litre engines (still of 75/85 PS) and a new 80 GTE model with a fuel-injected version of the 1.6-litre (110 PS (81 kW; 108 bhp)) replacing the former 80 GT."

(...)

"The B1 platform was dropped from the European market in 1978, although it was sold into the 1979 model year in North America."

(...)

---------------------------

Audi 80 B1 (80/82)

Also called

Audi Fox

Production

1972–1978

1,103,766 built

Body style

2/4-door sedan

5-door wagon

Layout

Front-engine, front-wheel-drive

Platform

Volkswagen Group B1 platform

Engine

1.3 L I4

1.5 L I4

1.6 L I4

Transmission

4-speed manual

3-speed automatic

Dimensions

Wheelbase

2,470 mm (97.2 in)

Length

4,175 mm (164.4 in)

Width

1,600 mm (63.0 in)

Height

1,362 mm (53.6 in)

Chronology

Predecessor

Audi 72

Successor

Audi 80 (B2)

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audi_80

More info:

www.speeddoctor.net/2012/audi-80-b1-1972-78/

Chevrolet Impala (2nd Gen) 4 door Sports Hardtop (1959-60) Engine 235 cu in (3860cc) S6 Blue Flame

Registration Number 307 XUB (First registered in the UK 2006, on an age related number first allocated to Leeds)

CHEVROLET SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623638181561...

As part of a GM economy move the 1959 Chevrolet Impala was redesigned to share bodyshells with lower-end Buicks and Oldsmobiles, and Pontiacs. Using a new X-frame chassis the roof line was 3 inches lower, bodies were 2 inches wider, the wheelbase was 1-1/2 inches longer, and curb weight increased. Flattened tailfins protruded outward, rather than upward. The taillights were a large "teardrop" design at each side, and two slim-wide, nonfunctional front air intake scoops were added just above the grille,

he Impala became a separate series, adding a four-door hardtop and four-door sedan to the two-door Sport Coupe and convertible. Sport Coupes featured a shortened roof line and wrap-over back window. The standard engine was an I6, while the base V8 was the carryover 283 cu in (4.6 L), at 185 hp (138 kW). Optional were a 283 cu in with 290 hp (220 kW) and 348 cu in (5.7 L) V8 up to 335 hp (250 kW)

The second series Impala 1959-60 now available in five different body styles two and four door hardtops, a two door convertable, a four door sedan and a two door coupe. 1959 was the only model year that the Impala appeared without the trademark six tail lights instead using large teardrop style lights .

Many thanks for a fantabulous 35,804,000 views

3hot at the Enfield Pagaent N. London-25:05:2015 Ref 106-221

EUROPE: Designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227, Bombardier’s Talent 2 is the latest entrant in the competitive European market for regional EMUs. Dr Harry Hondius reports.

Formally unveiled at the InnoTrans 2008 fair in Berlin last September, Bombardier’s Talent 2 EMU is currently undergoing commissioning and acceptance trials before entering service with DB Regio in Germany.

Talent 2 is the latest in a series of new regional and suburban trainsets designed to meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15227. As such, it forms part of the second generation of EMUs to be designed by the manufacturers rather than the railway operators themselves. Talent 2’s main competitors are Alstom’s Coradia Continental, Siemens’ Desiro ML and Stadler’s Flirt designs.

Talent 2 has a strong heritage. The Talent 1 DMU was developed by Waggonfabrik Talbot in Aachen, just before Bombardier purchased the company in 1995. Unveiled in the spring of 1996, the regional diesel train was a completely new and striking design. Talent 1 proved very successful, with 223 diesel-mechanical and 63 diesel-electric sets built. In addition, 198 ‘Elektro Talent’ EMUs were built with Elin in Austria, of which 20 were for use in Hungary, making 484 trains in all.

Bombardier’s NINA EMUs for BLS have many similarities with Talent 1, including the Flex-Compact bogies, albeit with electrical equipment from Alstom; this family comprises 37 RABe525 S-Bahn sets and 13 RABe535 regional sets for the Lötschberg route. In Scandinavia Bombardier has delivered 90 Regina wide-bodied EMUs to Swedish operators. The company’s biggest success came in France, where 698 AGCs have been ordered along with 172 Spacium wide-bodied suburban EMUs for the Paris region. These two designs also use bogies from the Flex-Compact (formerly Wegmann) platform.

So why, with so many trains in production, has Bombardier developed another new design? Changing demands from operators and leasing companies and the new crashworthiness norms are the main reasons, along with the desire for greater flexibility to meet differing customer requirements over the lifetime of the train, especially regarding the number of doors and the entrance height.

Crashworthiness norms

From August 1 2008 any new rolling stock designs in the European Union must meet the crashworthiness requirements of EN 15277. These demand a survival space for the driver, and the train must remain structurally intact, safeguarding the passengers, in three specific scenarios:

* in a collision between two similar trains at 36 km/h,

* in a collision with a 90-tonne freight wagon at 36 km/h,

* in a collision on a level crossing with a 15 tonne lorry at 110 km/h.

Although the rules came into force in August there is provision for local safety authorities to allow a four-year transition period. So far the Dutch have taken the lead in demanding full application, with the latest Sprinter EMUs (RG 3.08 p180), 82 out of 437 GTW trainsets and the Protos EMUs all compliant. Alstom’s Coradia Nordic was also built to meet the crashworthiness criteria from its inception, but so far the Coradia Continental sets for DB do not (RG 5.08 p321). Whilst the ET 422 S-Bahn units are compliant, DB placed framework contracts in July 2008 for 120 Coradia Lint, 60 RegioShuttle and 60 Desiro Classic DMUs, which do not meet EN 15227; these will be ordered as and when DB Regio AG wins regional operating concessions.

Bombardier’s AGC and Spacium designs, as well as the Desiro ML from Siemens do meet the EN 15227 requirements. The NINA does not, nor do the 614 Flirts from Stadler, although a crashworthy Flirt variant has been prepared for future orders.

Among the second-generation competitors, Alstom has won orders for 150 Coradia Lirex Nordic and 141 Coradia Lirex Continental units, Siemens is supplying 17 Desiro Main Line EMUs in Germany and 305 for Belgium, and Stadler has 186 German orders out of 614 Flirts in total.

Framework contract

In February 2007 DB AG signed a framework agreement with Bombardier for Talent 2, providing for up to 321 trainsets to be supplied between May 2009 and December 31 2014. These will be converted to firm orders as and when DB wins regional or S-Bahn concessions which require new electric trainsets.

So far, firm orders have been placed for 76 sets:

* S-Bahn Nürnberg: 42 four-car sets of Class ET 442;

* Moselbahn, Koblenz – Trier/Perl: eight four-car and five two-car units;

* Cottbus – Leipzig: three four-car and three two-car units;

* Rhein-Sieg regional express, Aachen – Köln – Siegen: three three-car, 10 four-car and two five-car units.

This last order was valued at €60m, which equates to just €19 000/m²; this is a very competitive price indeed.

All-steel bodyshell

Developed in Hennigsdorf, Talent 2 is planned as a platform offering trainsets of two to six cars, varying from 40 m to 104 m in length (Fig 2). It is an all-steel welded car, with the bodies fabricated at Ceska Lipa. The principal concept behind Talent 2 is to offer the greatest operational flexibility terms of seating arrangements, toilets and door positions. The window panels have the same dimensions as the door panels, so that doorways can be added, or even removed, at a later date.

The end cars have entrances at 800 mm above rail. The floor height in the intermediate cars can vary depending on customer requirements. The option selected for the Nürnberg units was shown at InnoTrans: a small ramp links the floor at 695 mm above rail with the entrances at 773 mm. A Bode sliding step at 573 mm (Fig 3 left) serves 550 mm high platforms. An alternative arrangement (Fig 3 right) would have a ramp down from the 695 mm floor to a doorway at 598 mm, still only 50 mm higher than a 550 mm platform and a sliding step at 360 mm for lower platform heights.

To meet EN 15227, the end cars have hydraulic energy absorbers at two levels, in addition to the energy absorption qualities of the automatic Voith Scharfenberg coupler. A steel cage around the cab provides the survival space for the driver, enclosed by a GRP nose from Stratiform. Reinforcement of the articulations prevents damaging energy levels being transmitted to the inner coaches. The Hübner corrugated gangways provide an inter-car walkway 732 mm wide.

Talent 2 also runs on bogies from the Flex-Compact family like those used on AGC or Spacium which have H-frames with a degree of in-built flexibility. The primary suspension and axle guidance acts as a linkage to the axle boxes, connected to the frame via rubber bushes on the inner side and via steel primary springs with a vertical shock absorber on the outer side. Secondary suspension is by air springs, with rubber/metallic auxiliary springs on each side complemented by a vertical shock absorber, and two torsion anti-roll stabilizers, two yaw dampers and one horizontal damper. A central connection transmits traction and braking forces. Knorr electro-pneumatic wheel brakes act on 10 wheels, and spring-loaded parking brakes are applied to 12 wheels. One of the end bogies is equipped with electromagnetic track brakes and both end bogies have Delemon flange lubrication equipment.

A single pantograph feeds the electrical equipment which was designed at Västerås. Skoda asynchronous four-pole forced ventilated motors drive the two end bogies and the central articulation bogie. They have a maximum power of 505 kW and a continuous rating of 380 kW, with a maximum speed of 5 614 rev/min. The motors are fully suspended, and drive through a toothed coupling and 1:5·05 single-reduction Watteeuw gears which are suspended from the frame on one side and rest on the axle. Two-stage gearing is provided for the powered articulation bogie because of the limited space.

All of the equipment is mounted on the roof with the exception of the two transformers and the 110 V, 105 Ah batteries, which are slung under the floors of the end cars. The two transformers deliver 6 x 428 kVA. Each motored bogie has its own inverter, of which two include auxiliary inverters. A separate 500 W inverter feeds the 24 V DC circuit.

To meet DB Regio’s design requirements, the trains are fitted with Kiel’s Match type seats. The single-glazed windows come from Securit in Poland. Bode has also supplied the electrically operating sliding-plug doors. Because of EBA’s latest safety requirements, the closing of the doors is monitored by optical sensors in two dimensions and the doors are fitted with highly-sensitive rubber edging strips incorporating Mayser electronic sensors. The fully-accessible toilet compartment has a shell from Bahrain and fittings from Denmark.

Air-conditioning is provided on all vehicles. Each unit is rated at 2 900 m³/h when air is being recirculated, or 1 900 m³/h with fresh air. The end cars have provision for 31·75 kW of heating, compared with 33·4 kW for the intermediate vehicles, cooling rate for all cars is 27 kW. Warm air is fed into the saloons from below, cool air from the roof. The driving cabs are equipped with separate air-conditioning units, rated at 5·4 kW heating and 4·5 kW cooling. These can recirculate at 550 m³/h or add fresh air at 400m³/h. Overall train design is by Michel Sohn at Hennigsdorf.

A versatile family

Although we have not yet had the opportunity to sample the riding qualities of Talent 2, Bombardier seems to have made a serious effort to develop a largely-standardised steel-bodied trainset with the flexibility to deliver a variety of functional interior layouts without incurring heavy engineering costs. As well as the established Flex-Compact bogies, Talent 2 uses several elements that are well-proven in other DB series. The cab layout, for example, is identical to that of the Class ET 422 units.

In the private operator market, the closest competitor to Talent 2 is the Flirt, which does not yet meet EN 15227, is 1·8 m shorter, and carries 51 fewer passengers. The Flirt has 5·2% less power, and only four driven axles, but is 8·6% lighter.

This text is from railway gazette

A new venture for me was a limited run of these Vauxhall Movano minicoach bodyshells. They originated from the now-discontinued BW Models whitemetal ambulance kit, which I originally converted purely for my own fleet, but the level of interest shown persuaded me to have a small number of resin copies moulded. They represent the Cymric body conversion and this one has joined Quicksilver as SIL 4325, using the running gear from the original BW kit plus whitemetal seats.

Lancia Fulvia Zagato Sport 1600 Series II by Zagato (1970-72) Engine 1584cc V4 Production 27(2600 Fulvia Zaato all models)

Registration: Number LS 6006

LANCIA SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623795824232...

The Lancia Fulvia debuted at the 1963 Geneva Motor Show powered by a 1298cc V4 engine of 90bhp. This is an example built by Zagota on the Fulvia coupe underpan.

The Sport was a fastback two seater based on Coupé mechanicals, built for Lancia by Zagato—where it had been designed by Ercole Spada. The Sport was commissioned by Lancia to Zagato as more aerodynamic and sportier version of the coupé, which could be used in road and track competitions.

The series 1 had its bonnet hinged to the right hand side, the rear hatch, which could be lifted electrically by an handful of centimetres to aid cabin ventilation, and the spare wheel, housed in a separate compartment, accessed from a rotating panel which held the rear number plate. The Series 1 Sport was introduced at the 1965 Turin Motorshow the first Sport had an all-aluminium alloy bodyshell and used the coupé's 1.2-litre (1,216 cc) engine. The interior featured a wood-trimmed dashboard and two small bucket seats designed by Zagato. Just 202 were made in total

The Series 1 Aport 1.3 was a 1966 upgrad of the Sport with a 1298cc engine from the Rallye 1.3, producing 87 hp. Early version retained the aluminium bonnet, doors, and spare wheel hatch.Whereas the first Sport was homologated as a two-seater, the car was now classified as a three-seater—or 2+1. The 1.3 can be distinguished from the 1.2 for its silver- instead of ivory-painted steel wheels, and the side mirror on the driver's side front wing.

The Series 1 line up was completed with the 1.3 Sport S An updated Sport 1.3 with 1,298 cc producing 92bhp These Sports were normally fitted with brake servos. It is recognizable by its larger hubcaps, decorated with Lancia flag logos instead of being plain.

The second series Zagota Sport was launched at the 1970 Turin Motorshow Changes included a 5-speed gearbox, revised suspension geometry, taller ride height, an alternator in place of the previous dynamo, a taller final drive compared to coupés, and wider tyres, the body was now all steel and seated 2+2 passengers The bonnet was now hinged at the front, and the spare wheel compartment hatch was deleted. Other changes included the lights, the moving of the mirrors from the wing to the door. The line up

contained two models the Sport 1.3S and the Sport 1600.

The Fulvia Sport was prepared and raced by several privateers in track events. During 1968 Zagato built 27 Sport Competizione competition versions, all of which were pre-sold, as well as two special. These were modified with twin, different sized round headlamps under flush Plexiglas covers, a mesh front grille, widened fenders, Plexiglas side and rear windows, quick-fill fuel cap, and a 155 PS engine. In 1969 these two cars were entered with Maglioli and Pinto as drivers at the 12 Hours of Sebring, placing 18th overall, and at the 24 Hours of Daytona, where they scored a remarkable class win in the sports prototype category and an 11th place overall. Like so many competition cars of the period the Zagato Competizione had replicas built up by owners. In period as many as 40 separate cars were raced. Modifications making them indistinquishable from the 27 genuine cars. One replica even won its class in the Targa Florio making it more valuable than any of the genuine cars.

Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 27,494,400 views

Shot 27:07:2014 at Silverstone Historic Festival REF: 103-204

Fiat began designing the Ritmo hatchback – as a replacement for the 128 sedan – in 1972, following the body style of its 127 supermini as European manufacturers began launching small family hatchbacks, notably the Volkswagen Golf in 1974.

Prior to its launch, the press speculated that the project codename 138 would be the final production name, however, Fiat instead gave its new car the Ritmo name, rather than another three digit number. Offered in 3- and 5-door hatchback and cabriolet body styles – from 1978 to 1988 with two facelifts.

The Ritmo was manufactured at the Cassino plant using a system developed by its subsidiary Comau, the "Robogate" system – which automated the bodyshell assembly and welding process using robots, giving rise to its advertising slogan "Handbuilt by robots", immortalised in a television advertising campaign showing the robots assembling the Ritmo bodyshells to the strains of Rossini's The Barber of Seville. The exterior has plastic bumper fascias integrated into the styling which combined strong round shapes with overall sharp lines, achieving a drag coefficient of Cd=0.38.

TVR Grantura II Lightweight (1960-62) Engine 1588cc S4 OHV Production 400 approx (Grantura II and Grantura IIA 1960-62)

Race Number 197 Ivan Dutton

Registration Number Unkown

TVR SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623722776067...

The TVR Grantura was the first of the TVRs, debuting in 1958 and progressing through a series of evolutions until the Grantura IV ceased production in 1967. These coupés were hand-built at the TVR factory in Blackpool, England with varying mechanical specifications and could be had in kit form. All cars featured a cocktail of Austin-Healey brakes, VW Beetle or Triumph suspension parts and BMC rear axles. The Grantura bodyshell was made from glass-reinforced plastic and made use of a variety of proprietary components. The bonnet was front hinged. There was no opening at the rear but the boot could be accessed from inside the car - the spare wheel had to be removed through the front doors.

The Series II had BMC B Series MGA engines as standard and was launched in 1960 with the MG 1588cc version of the BMC B series engine, changing later to the MGA 1622cc unit or an optional or Ford 1340 cc engine with rack and pinion steering and front disc brakes

In mid 1961 the model was updated as a Grantura IIA and featured the newer 1622cc MG engine

Many thanks for a fantabulous 41,365,846 views

Shot at the Chateau Impney Hill Climb, Chateuu Impney, Droitwich 12 July 2015 - Ref 108-273

Ford Escort (5th Gen) LX Estate (1990-97) Engine 1800cc S4 Diesel

Registration Number M 195 UCP

FORD (UK) SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181...

The Escort Mark V Hatch and Estate and sibling the Ford Orion Mark III Saloon arrived in September 1990 with an all-new bodyshell and a simplified torsion beam rear suspension. Initially the 1.3 L HCS, 1.4 L and 1.6 L CVH petrol and 1.8 L diesel units carried over from the earlier models. The new car was not well received by the Motoring Press critised for its mediocre handling and poor refinement.

In early 1992, an all new Zetec 16-valve engine was launched bringing improved driveability, while also marking the return of the XR3i Specifications were improved and the Escort was now available with items such as power steering, electric windows, central locking, electronic antilock brakes, and air conditioning..

Stung by the critiscm of the original Mk.V Ford facelifted the Escort and Orion in September 1992, giving the revised cars a new grille, bonnet and, in the Escort hatchback's case, a new rear end. A new 1.6 L 16-valve 90 bhp (66 kW) Zetec engine was introduced, replacing the previous CVH. Fuel injection was now standard on all petrol models, Also new for 1993 were 1.3 L and 1.4 L CFi petrol engines and 1.8 L diesel engines. Ford introduced a four-wheel-drive variant of the RS2000, offering much improved handling over its front-wheel-drive cousins. A first for the Escort also saw the introduction of all disc brakes on all four wheels as standard on all RS2000 and XR3i models.

The crash structure was also improved, featuring side impact bars, a reinforced safety cage, improved crumple zones, front seat-belt pretensioners and airbags..

In September 1993, the Orion name was dropped, with the saloon taking on the Escort badge. The XR3i was discontinued a few months later.

Many Thanks for a fan'dabi'dozi 27,096,500 views

Shot 25:07:2014 at Tesco Superstore, Shirley REF: 102-1123

The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a luxury sedan manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. Officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 it was an all-new redesign of the XJ to replace the Series III, although the two model ranges were sold concurrently until the Series III was discontinued in 1992. The XJ40 used the Jaguar independent rear suspension arrangement, and featured a number of technological enhancements (such as electronic instrumentation)

Development:

Throughout the 1970s Jaguar had been developing "Project XJ40", which was an all-new model intended to replace the original XJ6. Scale models were being built as early as 1972. Due to the 1973 oil crisis and problems at parent company British Leyland, the car was continually delayed. Proposals from both Jaguar's in-house designers and Pininfarina were received. Eventually, it was decided an internal design would be carried through to production and, in February 1981, the British Leyland board approved £80 million to produce the new car.

Jaguar historians claim that the XJ40 was the last car which company founder Sir William Lyons had contributed to during its protracted development phase. The previous generation XJ had been the final Jaguar to be developed wholly under Lyons' leadership - although he continued to take an active consultative role within Jaguar design, long after had retired from the day to day management of the firm following its merger in 1966 with the British Motor Corporation.

During development, the XJ40 pioneered significant improvements to the way Jaguar designed, built, and assembled cars. Among these improvements was a 25 per cent reduction in the number of bodywork panels required per car (e.g. three pressings needed for a Series 3 door compared with one for a XJ40 door), resulting in not only a more efficient assembly process, but also a weight saving and a stiffer structure. Greater attention to panel gaps improved the drag factor (reduced from 0.849 Cd to 0.762 Cd), while also improving the fuel economy and lowering wind noise inside the cabin.

Mechanicals:

AJ6 4.0 L engine (in a 1990 Daimler)

Initially, only two engines were offered across the XJ40 models: a 2.9 L and a 3.6 L version of the AJ6 inline-six. In 1990, these were changed to 3.2 L and 4.0 L versions. In 1993, the XJ12 and Daimler Double Six (both equipped with the Jaguar V12 engine) were added to the available models.

During the development of the XJ40, British Leyland had considered providing the Rover V8 engine for the car, which would have eliminated the need for future Jaguar engine production. The XJ40 bodyshell was allegedly engineered to prevent fitting V-configuration engines such as the Rover V8; this delayed the introduction of the V12-powered XJ12 until 1993.

The automatic gearbox used in the 2.9 L, 3.2 L and 3.6 L six-cylinder cars was the four-speed ZF 4HP22. On the 4.0 L, the four-speed ZF 4HP24 was used. A stronger automatic gearbox was required for the V12-equipped cars, and the four-speed GM 4L80-E was selected. The manual gearbox fitted to early cars was the five-speed Getrag 265, while later cars received the Getrag 290.

The automatic transmission selector was redesigned to allow the manual selection of forward gears without accidentally selecting neutral or reverse. This new feature was dubbed the "J-Gate" and has carried over to more recent Jaguar models.

Exterior:

The curvaceous lines of the outgoing Series XJ were replaced by the more angular, geometric shape of the XJ40. The nose of the car would accommodate either matched pairs of round headlights, or rectangular single units; the latter were fitted to the higher-specification Sovereign and Daimler trim levels, and also to all cars for the US market.

The bumper is a visually distinct black-rubber-covered bar that runs the full width of the car and incorporates the sidelights and indicator lights. The bonnet is hinged at the front. Window frames are either chromed or black, depending on model. Rain gutters, door mirrors, and door handles are also finished in chrome. All XJ40s have a chrome surround for the windscreen and a single windscreen wiper.

Early low-specification cars were fitted with metric-sized steel wheels and plastic wheelcovers. From 1991, the wheels were changed to non-metric sizing.

[Text from Wikipedia]

This Lego miniland-scale 1986 Jaguar XJ6 (XJ40) has been created for Flickr LUGNuts 85th Build Challenge, - "Like, Totally 80s", - for vehicles created during the decade of the 1980s.

Recorded at Brno Královo Pole in April 2023, IDS Cargo 365 001 had charge of a block train of gas tanks [Zagkks].

The locomotive is one of a pair of former SNCB Class 12 [1984] locomotives re-built by CZ Loko to become Effiliner 3000 units. Locomotive 365 001 is the former 1203 dual-voltage Belgian machine that has been modernised with new cabs, brakes, traction equipment and electronic controls, retaining only the bogies and bodyshell. The maximum speed has been reduced from 160 to 120 km/h to reflect its use on freight traffic and following tests, the locomotive was approved for operation in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

All images on this site are exclusive property and may not be copied, downloaded, reproduced, transmitted, manipulated or used in any way without expressed written permission of the photographer. All rights reserved – Copyright Don Gatehouse

The Austin Maxi is a medium-sized, 5-door hatchback family car that was produced by Austin and later British Leyland between 1969 and 1981. It was the first British five-door hatchback.

The Maxi (code name ADO14) was the last car designed under the British Motor Corporation (BMC) before it was incorporated into the new British Leyland group, and the last production car designed by famed designer Alec Issigonis. It was the first car to be launched by British Leyland.

The new chairman Lord Stokes decided to also change the hatchback's name to the Maxi in homage to the Mini of 10 years earlier. All Maxis were produced at the Cowley plant in Oxford, although the E-Series engines were made at a new factory at Cofton Hackett in Longbridge.

Underneath the Maxi's practical and spacious bodyshell lay an all-new front-wheel drive chassis, which was interlinked with an innovative five-speed manual transmission; the fifth gear was another rarity on family cars in 1969 and one which many manufacturers did not adopt until more than a decade later.

Despite the new platform, the Maxi's styling suffered from the decision to save tooling costs by re-using door panels from the Austin 1800 "Landcrab", which gave the Maxi an unusually long wheelbase in relation to its length, coupled with the fact that the carried-over doors made the Maxi resemble a scaled down version of the 1800 (and the Austin 3-Litre, which also used the same doors).

Blasting north through Lichfield Trent Valley with the 1F10 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street is Virgin Trains Class 390, 390148.

Since their introduction in 2002, the Class 390 tilting Pendolino sets have revolutionised services on the West Coast Mainline, bringing about an entirely new level of speed onto a route notorious for its laboriously winding route. But with such a technological leap, the Class 390 has sadly paid the price for its image due to what it was replacing.

The idea of a tilting train on the West Coast Mainline was however not a new one to Alstom when they developed the Pendolino sets in the late 1990's, with the concept being toyed way back in the early 1970's. British Rail first pioneered the concept of the tilting train with the ill-fated Advanced Passenger Train or APT of the mid-1970's. The idea was to create a train that could shift its centre of gravity whilst moving around sharp bends at high speeds, similar to how a motorcyclist leans into corners. This was to not only allow the train to travel at higher speeds on winding track without fear of it falling over, but also to improve passenger comfort levels and stop people being pressed against the windows when taking corners!

The original APT was a Gas-Turbine unit that operated on the Midland Region out of London St Pancras, and was later followed by the Class 370 electric multiple unit that began trials on the West Coast Mainline from 1980. A truly brilliant concept, the APT showed the world that the idea of a tilting train could be possible, that is, when it worked. The Class 370 was marred by teething problems and reliability issues, mostly consisting of the fact that the tilting mechanism wouldn't work properly or there would be just general train faults. Coupled with the winter of 1981, the worst winter for many years, and the train's image was damaged beyond repair. Even while developments were looking promising, and with only a few million Pounds required to complete the project, the British Government pulled the plug and the APT was axed in 1986, with only one complete set remaining as a rather sorry museum piece. The train of the future had become a thing of the past.

But the developments of the APT were picked up by none-other than Fiat Ferroviaria, who, following the failure of their British rival, developed their own and much more successful tilting train, the ETR-401 Pendolino, which began operations in 1988. This was later translated into a fleet of 15 ETR 450 production units which became the first revenue earning tilting trains.

In 2000, Fiat Ferroviaria was acquired by Alstom, who has been building their legendary tilting trains ever since. This coincided with the formation of Virgin Trains following privatisation of British Rail in 1994. As part of Virgin Trains' franchise requirements in 1997, the company intended the replacement of the ageing BR stock of the 1960's with a new fleet of high speed trains that would reduce journey times and up travel quality. As such, Virgin turned to Fiat Ferroviaria and later successor Alstom to provide them with a derivative version of the company's latest tilting Pendolino, the ETR 460.

Fiat Ferroviaria supplied much of the content of the Class 390 units, including the bodyshell and the bogies, while final assembly was carried out at Washwood Heath. The tilting technology was developed by SIG Switzerland (later Fiat-SIG, today Alstom). Two electromechanical actuators are used per car to achieve the desired tilting angle on curved stretches of track. The train can tilt to a maximum of eight degrees, at which point one side of the cabin train is 380 mm higher above the track than the other. In contrast to other Fiat Ferroviaria tilting trains which use hydraulic tilting actuators, the electromechanical systems offers lower maintenance cost and higher efficiency.

The new trains were intended to run at 140mph, but the West Coast Main Line modernisation programme, which was an upgrade to the infrastructure to allow faster line speeds, ran over budget. Consequently, plans were scaled back, and in a manner reminiscent of the introduction of the InterCity 225, the lack of signalling upgrades resulted in the maximum line speed being restricted to 125mph. Although this (and 140mph) are well below BR's hopes for APT of 155mph, it does match the maximum speed of 125mph for the APT in passenger service (although one APT set reached 162mph in testing).

The fleet was introduced into passenger services from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly on 23rd July, 2002, to coincide with the opening of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Over the next few months they took over the Manchester services, and were soon introduced on routes from London to Liverpool Lime Street, Birmingham New Street, Wolverhampton and Preston.

With the start of Class 390 operations, the writing was very much on the wall for the ageing sets of trains it was replacing, and thus the Class 390's image began to be somewhat tarnished amongst the railway purists. First to go were the Class 86's of the 1960's, proud high-speed locomotives that were once the mainstay of the WCML, withdrawn from service in 2003 following both the introduction of the Class 390's, and the Class 220/221 Voyager units on Cross-Country services. Next were the newer Class 90's of 1989, replaced in 2004 once Class 390's had been allocated to routes north of Preston. The final locomotive hauled trains were provided by the Class 87's of the 1970's, which held strong until final replacement in 2005, bringing an end to locomotive hauled services on the West Coast Mainline. From then on, the Class 86's have mostly been scrapped, whilst Class 90's were transferred to Anglia to replace their Class 86 fleet. Class 87's on the other hand have since been exported largely to Bulgaria, the few remaining here in the UK either being scrapped, placed in storage, or made into museum pieces. This left a great deal of animosity towards the Class 390's by the railway enthusiast community, who, even after 10 years, still have a strong hatred towards these trains.

The service improvements however are something that can't be taken away from the Class 390's as these trains have taken the original and comparatively sluggish 110mph top speed and translated it into the extremely fast 125mph running speed that BR had dreamt of for years. In September 2006, the Pendolino set a new speed record, completing the 401 mile length of the West Coast Main Line from Glasgow Central to London Euston in 3 hours, 55 minutes, beating the 4-hour-14-minute record for the southbound run previously set in 1981 by the Class 370 APT. The APT however retains the ultimate speed record for this route, having completed the northbound journey between London Euston and Glasgow Central in 3 hours 52 minutes in 1984 which included a 5-minute delay due to a signal fault.

Since then the Pendolino has become very much a staple of high speed train travel in the UK, and still looks good even 15 years after the first ones hit the test tracks back in 2001.

The Class 390 was put to the test however with 390033 'City of Glasgow', which was written off after the Grayrigg derailment of February 23rd, 2007. The accident had been caused by a points malfunction, which, after a failure to inspect by Network Rail, changed the direction of travel from normal and thus resulted in the entire set derailing and plummeting down an embankment at 95mph. The sturdy design and robust nature of the Class 390 has been attributed to the fact that only one person, an elderly lady, was killed in the disaster, whereas if the previous MkII carriages had been involved, the death-toll could have been much higher. As said, the unit was written off, and the less damaged rear carriages of the set now reside at the Crewe Training Centre and are used for the instruction of drivers and train crew. The subsequent destruction of one of the units led to Virgin Trains reinstating a loco-hauled service to cover its diagrams, this being in the form of a hired Class 90 (usually from Freightliner), a set of 9 MkIII coaches, and a Driving Van Trailer. This train operated covering diagrams until November 2014, when it was retired and transferred to Greater Anglia.

Since 2007 the Class 390's have had their fleet enhanced from the original 53 sets to 57 with the addition of 4 new units between 2011 and 2012. The introduction of these new sets coincided with the extension of 31 sets to 11-cars, with new carriages built and imported from Alstom's factory in Italy, the first routine 11-car InterCity train to operate in the UK since the 1970's.

Today the Class 390's continue to ply their merry trade, and remain vital parts of the UK's high speed network, bringing Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool and London closer together than they've ever been before.

On display in the exhibition halls is Dave Eaton's wonderful creation in the early stages of the process, the Icon 917. Starting with a bodyshell mould of David Piper's 917K-010, Dave and John Hartland were to spend 8 years recreating this marvellous car that was always intended to run on road and track. Fully IVA-compliant, it was to have a 3.6 flat-six engine with 280bhp and would only be distinguishable from the original by small details necessary for it to run on the road. It finally surfaced at the Silverstone Classic in July 2019 where I had the pleasure of seeing it and having a chat with its creator.

One of the most influential designs of recent decades, the Audi Quattro brought four-wheel drive into the motoring mainstream. Introduced in 1980, the Quattro was based on the outwardly similar Coupé's bodyshell but used a different floor pan to accommodate its four-wheel-drive transmission and independent rear suspension. The engine was a development of the five-cylinder, 2.1-litre, single-overhead-camshaft unit first seen in the 200 saloon. Equipped with a KKK turbocharger, it produced 200bhp in road trim with considerably more available in competition tune. Phenomenally fast and sure-footed on the road, the Quattro excelled in international rallying, winning the Manufacturers' Championship for Audi in 1982 and 1984 and the Driver's Championship in '83 and '84, but its enduring legacy would be the demonstration of four-wheel drive's advantages for passenger cars. Since then Audi has gone on to apply its quattro 4WD system to many other models but only the original (or 'Ur') version is spelled with a capital 'Q'.

The Sport version of Audi's sensational Quattro was launched in the autumn of 1983, three years after the original's unveiling at the Geneva Salon had taken the motoring world by storm. Developed as a 'homologation special' for Group B rallying, the Sport had a shortened wheelbase and was fitted with a new, lighter, all-aluminium version of the five-cylinder engine boasting a twin-cam 20-valve cylinder head. Running on Bosch HI-Jetronic fuel injection, this extensively revised engine developed a claimed 306bhp and gave this quite remarkable road car a top speed of around 250km/h (155mph).

In addition to the shorter wheelbase, the Sport was readily distinguishable by virtue of its steeper windscreen rake (requested by the works rally drivers to reduce internal reflections from the dashboard instruments), extended wheelarches, and wider wheels. With the introduction of the Sport, anti-lock braking made its first appearance on a Quattro-equipped Audi.

While the Quattro Sport met with mixed fortunes in international rallying (by this time the opposition all had four-wheel drive), it did score one notable success in 1985 when works driver Michèle Mouton won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, setting a record time in the process. Audi built 214 examples of the Sport, though only 164 were actually sold to customers for road use, the rest being reserved for competition purposes.

This particular Audi Quattro Sport has had only three owners. Sold new in Switzerland, it was delivered to its first owner on 18th December 1985, having undergone its pre-delivery service on 24th April '85. In 2005, the car was bought by Mr Claude Girod, the well-known Audi Quattro collector, who sold it to the current vendor in 2010. The Quattro has always been maintained by Mr Girod, who knows these cars well and would be happy to continue servicing it and provide assistance to the future buyer if required.

Finished in red with grey/beige leather interior, this car has never been crashed and is presented in generally excellent condition. The Sabelt safety harnesses (with their bag) are still present, as is the tool roll and the original service booklet. The original wheels have been repainted, and are shod with new period-correct Michelin tyres (235x45x15).

2.133 cc

5 Cylinder

306 hp @ 6.700 rpm

Vmax : 250 km/h

214 ex.

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 330.000 - 400.000

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2017

New Zealand.

The 1965-69 Porsche 912 was an entry level 4 cylinder variant of the 911, it had the same chassis and bodyshell. The 912 was offered in compact 2+2 Coupé and Targa body styles.

Styling, performance, quality construction, reliability, and price made the 912 a very attractive buy to both new and old customers, and it substantially outsold the 6 cylinder 911 during the first few years of production.

Engine; 1600cc air cooled flat 4 cylinder (from the last of the 356s)

G-Model

Bonhams : The Zoute Sale

Important Collectors' Motor Cars

The Zoute Grand Prix Gallery

Estimated : € 90.000 - 110.000

Sold for € 143.750

Zoute Grand Prix Car Week 2025

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2025

- Desirable model with the G50 gearbox

- Delivered new in France

- Known ownership history

- Three owners from new

- All books and tools

- Circa 51,800 kilometres recorded from new

Porsche revived the evocative Carrera name - previously used for the competition orientated versions of the preceding 356 model - for its luxuriously equipped, top-of-the-range 911 in 1973, applying the title to all 911 variants, co-incidentally with the introduction of the 3.2-litre engine, from the start of the 1984 model year. The revived name was part of a major revamp of the long-running 911, now selling better than ever, development of which had slowed while Porsche concentrated on meeting the ever increasing demand.

Although it remained an air-cooled 'flat six', the '3.2' motor was 80% new and incorporated an effective cam chain tensioner and associated lubrication system that at last addressed a perennial 911 shortcoming. An ECU controlled the fuel and ignition systems for the first time on a 911, enabling the engine to be both more powerful and less thirsty. As a result, this enlarged and extensively revised power plant now produced 231bhp, 27 horsepower up on its predecessor, endowing the Carrera with a level of performance approaching that of the original 911 Turbo of 1974, the bald statistics being a 0-60mph time of 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 152mph (244km/h) with 100mph (160km/h) reachable in a breathtaking 13.6 seconds.

No major changes were made to the bodyshell, though there was a new front spoiler with integral fog lamps, while the number of models on offer remained at three: Coupé, Targa, and Cabriolet. In 1987 the Carrera was upgraded with a new five-speed 'G50' gearbox sourced from Getrag, together with an hydraulically operated clutch. Thirty-plus years on, the Carrera 3.2 is now highly sought after and for very good reason, though finding one is not that easy.

This stunning Carrera 3.2 was ordered new by a Mr Jacques Boudet resident in Louveciennes (78) on 18th June 1988. Copies of the bill of sale and the original temporary registration document are on file. The Porsche then passed to a Mr Guy Rocchi before being bought by Mr Fornas in 2017 from Mr Rocchi's daughter, who had inherited the car from her late father. The odometer reading was 49,720 kilometres at time of purchase and currently stands at a little over 51,800 kilometres. Also on file is a detailed and copiously illustrated Rapport d'Expertise from Michel Gicquel, which was commissioned by way of a pre-purchase inspection by Mr Fornas in 2017. This report lists all servicing and maintenance carried out from the time of delivery in 1988 up to August 2015. It concludes: "Vehicle in a rare condition (in original paint) and with a clear history." The Carrera also comes with its Porsche wallet, tool kit, space-saver spare wheel, stamped service book, various instruction manuals, and other historical paperwork. Finished in dark blue with matching interior, this Carrera presents beautifully and feels almost like a new car. A rare opportunity.

Ford Lotus Cortina Mk.1 (1963-66) Engine 1558cc S4 DOC Production 4012

Race Number 79 Mark Martin + a n other

FORD UK SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181...

The history of the Cortina Lotus began in 1961. Colin Chapman had been wishing to build his own engines for Lotus, mainly because the Coventry Climax unit was so expensive. Colin Chapman's chance came when he commissioned Harry Mundy (a close friend and designer of the Coventry Climax engine and technical editor for Autocar) to design a twin-cam version of the Ford Kent engine. Most of the development of the engine was done on the 997cc and 1,340cc bottom end, but in 1962 Ford released the 116E five bearing 1,499 cc engine and work centred on this. Keith Duckworth, from Cosworth, played an important part in tuning of the engine The engine's first appearance was in 1962 at the Nürburgring in a Lotus 23 driven by Jim Clark. Almost as soon as the engine appeared in production cars (Lotus Elan), it was replaced with a larger capacity unit of 1557cc

Whilst the engine was being developed, Walter Hayes (Ford) asked Colin Chapman if he would fit the engine to 1,000 Ford saloons for Group 2 homologation. The Type 28 or Lotus Cortina or Cortina Lotus (as Ford liked to call it) was duly launched. Ford supplied the 2-door Cortina bodyshells and took care of all the marketing and selling of the cars, whilst Lotus did all the mechanical and cosmetic changes. The major changes involved installing the 1,557 cc engine together with an Elan close ratio gearbox, he rear suspension was drastically altered and lightweight alloy panels were used for doors, bonnet and boot. Lightweight casings were fitted to gearbox and differential. All the Lotus factory cars were painted white with a green stripe (although Ford built some for racing in red, and one customer had a dark blue stripe due to being superstitious about green). The cars also received front quarter bumpers and round Lotus badges were fitted to rear wings and to the right side of the radiator grille.

Initially, the engines were built by J. A Prestwich of Tottenham and then Villiers of Wolverhampton. In 1966, Lotus moved to Hethel in Norwich where they had their own engine building facilities

To homologate the car for Group 2, 1000 were required to be built in 1963, and the car was duly homologated in September 1963. In the same month, in the car's first outing, in the Oulton Park Gold Cup, the car finished 3rd and 4th behind two Ford Galaxies, but beat the 3.8-litre Jaguars which had been dominant in saloon car racing for so long. Soon Ford were running cars in Britain, Europe, and the USA, with Team Lotus running cars in Britain for Ford, and Alan Mann Racing running cars in Europe, also on behalf of Ford. The Cortina Lotus was able to beat almost anything except the 7-litre V8 Ford Galaxies, and later, Ford Mustangs.

This car raced at Donington in the HRDC Celebration of the BTCC race for Touring Cars

A Big thankyou for an incredible 24 Million views

Shot 04:05:2014 at the Donington Historic Festival REF 102-148

VNC-1 (93-KE-1919)

Volvo B6BLE / Northern Counties Paladin.

Resin body shell and 'concocted' interior

Notes:Mirror Image Models NCME Paladin bodyshell, rebuilt front details, considerably modified rear profile and second door added. Interior constructed from EFE Wright interior cut up and mounted on scratch built floor and chassis cut to length. Additional details are MIM etched wipers, mirrors and window frames. Transfers are all home produced.

The GT 1300 Junior Zagato was a limited production two seater coupe with aerodynamic bodywork by Zagato (Ercole Spada) of Milan. The model evoked the earlier, race-oriented Giulietta Sprint Zagatos which featured aluminium bodywork and had a very active competition history. However, the Junior Zagato featured a steel bodyshell with an aluminium bonnet and aluminium doorskins (on the earlier 1300 JZ's). The 1300 JZ was not specifically intended for racing and did not see much use in competition. The 1300 JZ was first seen in public at the Turin Motor Show of 1969. In total 1,108 units were constructed of which 2 were destroyed during production because the bodyshells were not within specification. The 1300 was based on the floorpan, driveline and suspension of the 1300 Spider. However, the floorpan was shortened behind the rear wheels to fit the bodyshell. The last 1300 Junior Zagato was produced in 1972 although in 1974 2 more cars were built according to the records.

In 1972 the 1600 Zagato came out of which 402 units were produced. In this case the floorpan was unaltered from the 1600 Spider, so that the normal fueltank could be left in place. As a consequence, the 1600 Zagato is approximately 100 mm (3.9 in) longer than the 1300 JZ. This can be seen at the back were the sloping roofline runs further back and the backpanel is different and lower. The lower part of the rear bumper features a bulge to make room for the spare tire. The 1600 Zagato has numerous differences when compared to the 1300 Junior Zagato. If you ever see two side by side, have a look at the details. The last 1600 Zagato was produced in 1973 and the cars were sold until 1975.

(Wikipedia)

A heavily stripped Volkswagen Type 1 ‘Beetle’ bodyshell, sitting on trailer. Not much to go on from this one but judging by the side-mounted fuel cap surround, it is at least a 1968+ model. RHD, presumably a UK market-specified export model. Found on an industrial estate/scrapyard in East Yorkshire, UK.

Collection d'un amateur d'automobiles Anglaises

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 15.000 - 20.000

Sold for € 10.350

To many - its designer Alec Issigonis included - the notion that the Mini might have a future as anything other than basic transport was anathema, and the idea of a high-performance version was laughable. One man, though, saw it quite differently. Racing car manufacturer John Cooper already knew a lot about tuning BMC's A-Series engine, and a test drive in a prototype Mini convinced him of the car's competition potential. The result, launched in September 1961, was the Mini Cooper, a car that offered a size/price/performance package that was nothing short of miraculous. Enlarged to 997cc and suitably tweaked, the revised A-Series engine easily met its 55bhp target. The extra power endowed the Mini Cooper with an 85mph-plus top speed, and to cope with this increased performance Lockheed developed special 7"-diameter disc brakes for the front wheels. The new car soon established its credentials as a rally and race winner, and the stage was set for even faster versions.

According to the vendor, this is a completely rust-free car retaining its original bodyshell and engine. Featuring the 998cc engine first introduced in 1964, this Mini was first registered in 1969 and was bought by the present owner in 1998. A 'last nut and bolt' restoration was then commenced that would take two years to complete. Since the restoration's completion, the Mini has covered approximately 2,000 kilometres and has been regularly serviced and maintained. Described by the vendor as in very good condition, the car is offered with Greek registration papers.

Bonhams : the Zoute Sale

Estimated : € 70.000 - 90.000

Sold for € 55.200

Zoute Grand Prix 2018

Knokke - Zoute

België - Belgium

October 2018

'There are few who would argue - we included - that the 500 SL is one of the world's finest luxury sports cars; beautifully styled and superbly engineered. Its engine an automatic transmission set extremely high standards in terms of smoothness and refinement while in most conditions its handling and roadholding are of the highest order.' - Motor.

Introduced alongside the outwardly similar 380 SL roadster and SLC coupé models at the Geneva Salon in March 1980, the 500 SL and 500 SLC retained the Type 107 bodyshell first introduced in 1971/72 in virtually unchanged form, the most noticeable difference being the addition of a front spoiler. Built on a longer wheelbase, the coupé models accommodated two rear seat passengers and provided greater boot space than their open-topped siblings. The running gear followed Mercedes-Benz's established pattern, comprising all-independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes, while a new four-speed automatic transmission was standard equipment.

The 500 SL and 500 SLC featured the all-alloy 4,973cc overhead-camshaft V8 engine that had debuted in the 450 SLC 5.0 of 1977. Lighter, more powerful and less thirsty than the old 4.5-litre iron-block V8, the 5.0-litre produced 240bhp at 5,000rpm, an output sufficient to propel the luxuriously equipped yet lightweight 500 SL/SLC to 225km/h. With approximately the same amount of power on tap as the legendary 300 SL sports car, the 500 SL/SLC was both lighter and slightly quicker off the mark, though a little down on top speed when compared to its illustrious cousin.

Although shorter in the wheelbase than the superseded 450, the newcomers retained their predecessors' successful and long-established body style, which now featured aerodynamic spoilers at front and rear. The running gear too remained unchanged in essence, though improvements were made to the all-independent suspension and to the brakes, which gained larger pads and anti-lock as an option. As on the smaller models, four-speed automatic transmission was standard. The previous auto 'box had disappointed some, but Motor magazine found the new version 'equal in the smoothness of its changes to anything achieved by Rolls-Royce or Chrysler in America'. Depending on the destination market, the inventory of standard equipment included central locking, electric windows, cruise control, headlamp wash/wipe, power steering, a limited-slip differential, and alloy wheels. The 500 SL/SLC was not officially sold in the USA, though that did not stop would-be owners importing them privately. In 1989, after 17 years in production, the elegant Type 107 family was retired to the enduring regret of many Mercedes-Benz enthusiasts.

Presented in outstandingly original condition – down to the smallest detail - this 107-series Mercedes-Benz 500 SL retains matching numbers and matching colours, and has the very desirable factory-optional rear seat (code 565). The car was registered in Berlin in January 1989 by its first owner, and remained in Berlin until 1990 when it travelled to Monaco, staying there for 27 years. It is currently in the hands of its third owner, who purchased the car in 2017, and has covered only 25,710 kilometres from new, as verified by the accompanying service records. Services have been carried out as follows:

- 1,132 km: 16/5/89

- 6,173 km: 4/3/92

- 7,506 km: 26/7/93

- 10,556 km: 5/2/97

- 16,745 km: 28/1/03

- 17,855 km: 11/2/05

- 17,855 km: 23/6/06

- 21,307 km: 7/4/09

- 23,424 km: 30/5/12

- 24,516 km: 8/6/15

- 24,642 km: 8/9/15

- 25,300 km: 19/4/17

This beautiful 500 SL has retained its full documentation: the sales brochure; original upholstery brochure; original datacard; user handbook, original service handbook; and other Mercedes-Benz paperwork. It also has its three keys and its full and original tool kit. Factory options include a hardtop in body colour with heated rear screen; front heated seats; graduated tinted windscreen; alloy wheels; air conditioning; central locking; electric windows; and the aforementioned rear seats (full specification listing available). It also comes with the fully lined factory hardtop that makes this SL usable no matter what the weather.

Recent maintenance has included new suspension silent block buses, cradles, and tie rods; brake pads; tyres (x4); cylinder head gaskets; ancillary drive belts; distributor cap; battery; air conditioning recharge; and airbag diagnosis (OK). This car also benefits from a transferable warranty (parts and labour, valid until February 2019) issued by a Mercedes-Benz Classic dealer located in Paris. Finished in its original colour combination of Arctic White with blue leather interior, this beautiful 500 SL is worthy of the closest inspection.

Originally conceived by British Leyland, the Metro was built to similar principals as those of the Mini it was intended to replace, with a small, practical platform with as much use available to the passenger as was possible. The car came under various initial guises, including the Austin Metro, the Austin miniMetro, the Morris Metro van and the MG Metro, a version of the car with a 1.3L A-Series Turbo Engine.

Although the car was launched in 1980, development of a Mini replacement had dated back to the beginning of the 70's. Dubbed ADO88 (Amalgamated Drawing Office project number 88), the Metro was eventually given the go ahead in 1977, but wanted to have the appeal of some of the larger 'Supermini' (what a contradiction in terms) cars on the market, including cars such as the Ford Fiesta and the Renault 5. Designed by Harris Mann (the same guy who gave us the Princess and the Allegro), the car was given a much more angular body for the time, but despite its futuristic looks did share many features of the earlier Mini, including the 675cc BMC-A Series engine that dated back to 1959, and the gearbox. Initial cars also included the Hydragas Suspension system originally used on the Allegro and the Princess, though with no front/rear connection. The car was also built as a hatchback, which would eventually be a key part of its success as the Mini instead utilised only a small boot.

The Metro was originally meant for an earlier 1978 launch, but a lack of funds and near bankruptcy of British Leyland resulted in the car's launch being pushed back. This delay however did allow the folks at Longbridge to construct a £200m robotic assembly plant for the new Metro line, with the hope of building 100,000 cars per year. Finally the car entered sales 3 years late and got off to quite promising initial sales, often being credited for being the saviour of British Leyland. The Metro was in fact the company's first truly new model in nearly 5 years, with the 9 year old Allegro still in production, the 1980 Morris Ital being nothing more than a 7 year old Marina with a new face, and the 5 year old Princess not going anywhere!

As mentioned, an entire myriad of versions came with the Metro, including the luxury Vanden Plas version and the sporty MG with its top speed of 105mph and 0-60mph of 10.1 seconds. Eventually the original incarnation of the car, the Austin Metro, went on to sell 1 million units in it's initial 10 year run, making it the second highest selling car of the decade behind the Ford Escort. However, like most other British Leyland products, earlier cars got a bad reputation for poor build quality and unreliability, combined with the lack of rustproofing that was notorious on many BL cars of the time.

The show was not over however, as in 1990 the car was given a facelift and dubbed the Rover Metro. The 1950's A-Series engine was replaced by a 1.1L K-Series, and the angular bodyshell was rounded to similar principals as those by acclaimed styling house Ital to create a more pleasing look for the 90's. This facelift, combined with an improvement in reliability and build quality, meant that the car went on to win the 'What Car?' of the Year Award in 1991.

In 1994 the car was given yet another facelift, with once again a more rounded design and removal of the Metro name, the car being sold as the Rover 100. Engines were once again changed, this time to a 1.5L Peugeot engine and more audacious colour schemes were available for the even more rounded design of the new car. However, the car was very much starting to look and feel its age. Aside from the fact that the design dated back to 1977, the new car was not well equipped, lacking electric windows, anti-lock brakes, power steering, or even a rev counter! In terms of safety, it was very basic, with most features such as airbags, an alarm, an immobiliser and central locking being optional extras.

Eventually the curtain had to fall on the Metro, and in 1997, twenty years after the initial design left the drawing board, it was announced that the car would be discontinued. Spurred on by dwindling sales due to lack of safety and equipment, as well as losing out to comparative cars such as the ever popular Ford Fiesta, VW Polo and Vauxhall Corsa, with only fuel economy keeping the car afloat, Rover axed the Metro in 1998 with no direct replacement, although many cite the downsized Rover 200 a possible contender. Stumbling blindly on, the next car to fill the gap in Rover's market was the 2003 CityRover, based on the TATA Indica, which flopped abysmally and pretty much totalled the company (but that's another story).

In the end only 2,078,000 Metro's were built in comparison to the 5.3 million examples of the Mini that it was meant to replace. The main failings of the Metro were down to the fact that the car was too big compared to the Mini, and the rounded old-world charm of the Coopers and Clubmans was replaced by the angular corners. Because of this the car simply didn't have the novelty that the Mini continued to claim even 20 years after the first ones left the factory, and the Mini would even go on to outlive the Metro by another 2 years, ending production in 2000, then going on to have a revival in the form of BMW's New Mini Cooper that's still being built today. Unlike the Mini, the Metro also failed to conquer the international market in the same way, scoring its 2 million units pretty much in Britain alone, although some cars were sold in France and Spain, but only to the total of a few hundred.

The Metro however survived only on fuel economy and its spacious interior, but by the early 1990's, whilst other car manufacturers had moved on leaps and bounds, Rover continued to be stuck in the past with not the money or the enthusiasm to change what was a terribly outdated and extremely basic car. Towards the end the Metro, which had only a few years earlier won awards for its practical nature, was ending up on lists for Worst car on the market.

Today however you can still see Metro's, later editions are especially common on the roads of Britain. Earlier models built under British Leyland have mostly rusted away and are apparently only down to about a thousand nowadays, but the Rover 100's and Rover Metros continue to ply their trade, a lonely reminder of how here in Britain, we can never ever seem to move on! :S

The second Class 91 to return to service; a sparkling, recently ex-works 91111 'For the Fallen' ducks under Askham Tunnel, leading today's Neville Hill to Peterborough test run, running as 5Z20. Due to the recent discovery of cracking in the bodyshells of the IET fleet, the plans to re-introduce IC225 sets to the ECML have been accelerated; one diagram has already been given over to Class 91 power, with 91111 + Mk4 set NL13 likely to begin a second diagram later this week. I'm going to have a 'cracking' time photographing these!!!

Of note is that 91111 and set are in reverse formation, presumably they will be turned before re-entering traffic.

R129

Estimated : CHF 35.000 - 45.000

Sold for CHF 28.750 - € 26.105

The Bonmont Sale

Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams

Golf & Country Club de Bonmont

Chéserex

Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz

September 2019

In 1989 Mercedes-Benz retired its classic Type R107 bodyshell that had been used for a succession of beautiful sports roadsters for almost the preceding 20 years, replacing it with an equally appealing, sleek new design in the modern idiom. This new Type R129 body style was used for three different engine types: 6.0-litre V12, 5.0-litre V8, and 3.0-litre straight six. As installed in the 500SL, the fuel-injected, 32-valve V8 produced 326bhp and delivered stupendous performance, as reflected in a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h (156mph). As one might expect, these new SL luxury sports cars were designed to be world leaders in their class and were lavishly equipped in the best Mercedes-Benz tradition.

This outstanding example of Mercedes-Benz's luxury flagship was sold new to Gunter Sachs, the famous German photographer, documentary film-maker, author, industrialist and third husband of Brigitte Bardot, who bought the car as a gift for his then wife, Swedish former model, Mirja Larsson. The Mercedes was next owned by another gentleman and then by the current vendor, who later sold the car before buying it back in 2018. Finished in the desirable colour scheme of silver with black leather interior, this immaculate car was last serviced in May 2018 and is offered with Swiss registration papers and its stamped service booklet. Top of the range, the highest-performance model in 1989 and European-delivered, this is the one to have.

Some model manufacturers opt for one-piece body castings incorporating bumpers, particularly on more recent subjects with moulded plastic items. To enable more variants using the same basic bodyshell, Corgi have kept the bumpers separate.

The CL Series Valiant was introduced in November 1976. Although it used the same bodyshell as the previous VK range, the front and rear ends were restyled. The front end used horizontally arrayed quad round headlamps flanking a central grille. The front guards and bonnet were also reworked accordingly. The new bootlid's curved leading edge flowed down to new taillights that sandwiched a simple centre garnish panel. The bumpers, however, were the same units as had been used on the 1969 VF series Valiants.

The 3.5 L (215 cu in) Hemi-6 and 5.9 L (360 cu in) V8 were dropped, and the only engine options were low- and high-compression versions of the 4.0 L (245 cu in) Hemi-6 and the 5.2 L (318 cu in) V8. The CL's introduction had closely coincided with that of the strict exhaust emission regulations contained in ADR 27A. With the 318 engine, a new emissions control system was introduced: Electronic Lean Burn.

Valiant and Regal sedans also benefited from the 1978 introduction of Radial Tuned Suspension in response to Holden's having marketed their suspension as particularly suited to radial tyres.

36,672 CL Valiants — including the last-ever Chargers — were built.

This Valiant wagon is created for the #mocaround49 challneg #vacationwagon

Land Discovery 6 wheel (1996) Engine 3940cc V8

Registration Number N 673 XBR

LAND ROVER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623671619947...

Built from a 1978 six wheel Carmichel Commando Range Rover converted to a Discovery bodyshell.

For sale at £ 6000

Thanks for 16.1 Million views

Shot 12 Aug 2012 at the Astle Park Traction Engine Rally, Chelford Cheshire Ref:93a-582

Collection Adrian Van Lerber

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2019

Estimated : € 20.000 - 30.000

Sold for € 23.000

Just as it had done 21 years previously with the revolutionary 'Traction Avant', Citroën stunned the world again in 1955 with the launch of the futuristically styled 'DS'. Beneath the shark-like newcomer's aerodynamically efficient, low-drag bodyshell there was all-independent, self-levelling, hydro-pneumatic suspension; plus power-operated brakes, clutch and steering. No European car would match the DS's ride quality for several years, the fundamental soundness of Citroën's ahead-of-its-time hydro-pneumatic suspension being demonstrated by its survival in computer-controlled form into the 21st Century. The DS's original 1,911cc, overhead-valve, long-stroke engine was replaced in 1966 by a short-stroke 1,985cc unit, also available in 2,175cc and 2,347cc versions, while other DS developments included swivelling headlights, fuel injection, and a five-speed gearbox. By the time production ceased in April 1975, more than 1.3 million of these wonderfully idiosyncratic cars had been built.

One of the last DS models produced, this top-of-the-range Pallas version has the fuel-injected 2.3-litre engine and the desirable five-speed manual transmission. It has been with the current owner for approximately 10 years and is presented in virtually original condition, the only notified departure from factory specification being a chromed exhaust system. Finished in white with black roof and brown leather interior, the car is offered with FIVA identity card, 2016 MFK (TüV), and Swiss registration papers.

The Mazda Luce (Italian for 'light') was the largest Mazda model available, at launch in 1969, through to 1991. The second generation car was launched in 1972, the LA2.

The car was still compact by US standards, at 1660 mm wide and approximately 4500 mm long.

Mazda installed their 12A and 13B twin-rotor rotary engines to produce the Mazda RX4 performance coupe (using the Luce 2-door bodyshell).

Conventional Luces used a conventional 94 PS 1.8 L, or 103 PS 2.0 litre 4-cylinder engine.

The car received a more conventional styling update in 1976 (LA3), losing some of the period cool of the LA2. The overall body form though, still reflected a Japanese interpretation of the period coke-bottle styling.

The LA2 Luce Coupe is shown here.

Hillman Avenger Tiger (1972-73) Engine 1498cc S4 OHV Production 600 approx

Registration Number NDV 285 M

HILLMAN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623789458598...

Limited production version of the Hillman Avenger intended for racing and rallying

Standard specification includes twin Weber carburettor engine, and alloy wheels. Up to 110 mph in favourable conditions, formed the basis of a successful race/rally saloon. Homologated as a Group 1 race car, winning the RAC Championships. A few competition cars fitted with 1.8 and 2.0 litre engines

All Avenger Tigers were assembled by the Chrysler Competitions Centre and production figures are vague but around 200 of the initial Mark 1 seems likely. In October 1972, Chrysler unveiled the more "productionised" Mark 2 Tiger. The Avenger GL bodyshell with four round headlights was used. Mechanically identical to the earlier cars, the bonnet bulge was lost although the bonnet turned matt black, and there were changes to wheels and seats. These cars went on sale at £1,350. Production was around 400. Red ("Wardance") was now available as well as yellow ("Sundance"), both with black detailing

A big thanks for 21.2 million views

Shot 20:04:2014 at Weston Park Ref 99a-253