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

Ford Cortina Mk.V (1979-82) Engine 1593cc S4 OHV

Registration Number KNY 680 W

FORD UK SET www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665118181

The Mark V was announced on 24 August 1979. A large update on the Mark IV, it was really a step between a facelift and a rebody. The Mark V differentiated itself from the Mark IV by having revised headlights with larger turn indicators incorporated (which now showed to the side too), a wider slatted grille said to be more aerodynamically efficient, a flattened roof, more glass area, slimmer C-pillars with revised vent covers, larger, slatted tail lights (on saloon models) and upgraded trim.

Improvements were also made to the engine range, with slight improvements to both fuel economy and power output compared to the Mk.IV, Ford also claimed improved corrosion protection.

The estate models combined the Mk IV's bodyshell (which was initially from the 1970 Ford Taunus) with Mk V front body pressings.

Variants included the Base, L, GL, and Ghia (all available in saloon and estate forms), together with Base and L spec 2-door sedan versions (this bodystyle was available up to Ghia V6 level on overseas markets).

Shot at Tatton Park, Manchester, Classic Car Show 18:08:2012 REF 88-122. .

Another baby Bedford from Paragon, the Plaxton Embassy-bodied J2 (nicknamed the Peanut) was released in limited numbers around 2006 and has long since sold out, and I regret only buying one. It was made only as a bodyshell so the buyer had to provide their own running gear and interior. After ten years in the heritage fleet, 644 HAA has recently been given a light refurbishment and is intended to remain in use for many more years.

Colas's 56090 passes Bathampton on 27 May 2024 with 6C25, a Westbury-Craven Arms-Westbury overnight ballast working. So why are Class 56s known as ‘grids’? Built in the 1970s to plug an urgent gap in BR’s freight roster, the class utilised the existing Class 47 bodyshell design. However, the ‘56s needed additional cooling apertures and so a rather crude ‘grid’ was fitted go the bodyside, absent from the more sleek Class 47s.

Humber Hawk series 4A (1965-67) Engine 2267 S6 OHV Production 3754 (15539 all Hawks Ser. 1 - IVA (1957-67)

Registration Number JTR 205 D

HUMBER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623665287863...

The Humber Hawk Series 1- 5A (1957-67) were of a completetly new unitary construction which it would go on to share with the Humber Super Snipe. The 2267 cc engine is common to all the series with detail change and a Borg-Warner Automatic was available. The body was styled in house by Rootes, a feature of the Estate is the split tailgate with the lower portion opening downwards to provide extra length and the quirky idea of the filler cap being concealed behind the reflector. There are sevral revisions in each of the series,

Introduced in 1957 the Series 1 had a completely new body with unitary construction which it would go on to share with the 1958 Humber Super Snipe. This was the biggest bodyshell for a saloon/estate car built in Great Britain at the time. The 2267 cc engine was carried over, though with modifications to the distributor mounting, and other details; The body was styled in Rootes' own studios and featured more glass than previous models, with wrap-around front windscreen, which gave it a considerable resemblance to a 1955 Chevrolet.

The 1959 Series 1A had changed gear ratios and minor trim changes.

The Series II launched in October 1960 had disc front brakes, servo-assisted. The automatic option was no longer available on the home market.

The Series III of September 1962 had a larger fuel tank and bigger rear window. The export model automatic option was also dropped.

More significant changes came with the October 1964 Series IV. The roof was made flatter, the rear window smaller and an extra side window fitted behind the rear doors. Synchromesh was fitted to bottom gear. An anti-roll bar was fitted at the rear

The final Series IVA of 1965 saw the automatic option re-introduced, this time being the Borg Warner Model 35.

In March 1967 Rootes announced that production of the Humber Hawk, along with that of the Super Snipe and Imperial had ceased. and that their place in the range would be filled by Chrysler Valiants imported from Australia, though this never seemed to happen.

After Hawk production ended, Rootes came to concentrate on sectors offering greater volume, no longer featuring as a UK provider of large family cars. It had, in particular, been unusual for UK manufactured cars of this size to feature a spacious station wagon / estate car version; and, following the demise of the Humber Hawk, the UK market for large estate cars quickly came to be dominated by the Volvo 145,

Shot at Brooklands Bus Museum New Years Day meeting 01:01:2013 REF 90-193 .

G-Modell

Estimated : CHF 130.000 - 180.000

Sold for CHF 143.750 - € 130.955

The Bonmont Sale

Collectors' Motor Cars - Bonhams

Golf & Country Club de Bonmont

Chéserex

Switzerland - Suisse - Schweiz

September 2019

Porsche's first take on an open-top 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. 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 comfortably outsold 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 in 1989, the name previously having been applied to that most stylish of the many Type 356 variants. The idea of a new Speedster had first crystallised in 1983 with the development of an ultimately stillborn prototype. Porsche's president, the German-American Peter Schutz, revived the project in 1986, knowing that such a model would have great appeal in the United States market. A prototype based in the 911SC was shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1987, but by the time the production Speedster arrived, the 911SC had been superseded by the Carrera '3.2'.

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 brilliant original design of 1963. The latter had been 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, the latter a simplified affair described by the factory as for 'temporary' use.

From 1984 Porsche had 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 during 1989 only, a mere 2,104 cars being completed. Of this Turbo Look version featuring the original front and rear spoilers, only 69 were built.

This gorgeous Turbo Look Speedster was supplied with catalyst new to Switzerland and has had only one owner. Finished in Indian Red with black interior, this manual transmission model has covered only 89,100 kilometres from new has only been used in summer in beautiful weather conditions. This Speedster is absolutely accident-free and in very good original condition in every respect. The car is offered with its service booklet, Swiss Fahrzeugausweis, technical inspection, and a functional inspection checklist dated 21st August 2019 stating that it was found to be completely satisfactory.

010116 41043 at Doncaster. 41043 is a spare Mark 3 TF bodyshell. Built after the Watford collision on 8th August 1996, as a replacement spare carriage as the only other spare carriage became part of 321420. It was painted into First Great Eastern livery to demonstrate how the livery would look on class 360's.

Island Line, a subsidiary of South West Trains runs a train service on the Isle of Wight, serving the towns of Ryde, Brading, Sandown, Lake and Shanklin.

The British Rail Class 483 electrical multiple units were originally built as 1938 tube stock units for London Underground. They were extensively refurbished between 1989 and 1992 by Eastleigh Works, for use on services on the Isle of Wight's Island Line. Five of the original nine units remain in service - 483004 /6-9. The stock is around 76 years old, making it the oldest type in Great Britain to remain in regular service and South West Trains currently has no plans to replace them.

With passenger numbers falling and annual £3.5m losses, the Government announced plans to remove the service from the next regional train franchise.

However five new two-car Class 484 units are being produced at Vivarail’s Long Marston site using the bodyshells and bogies of metro cars which were previously used on London Underground’s District Line to enter service in March 2021. They will replace Island Line’s existing fleet of small profile ex-London Underground vehicles dating back to 1938, which are now the oldest trains on the national network

Island Line will close from 4 January 2021 until the end of March for track and platform upgrades, with rail replacement bus services running. The track upgrade will include a new passing loop at Brading and enhancements to improve ride quality

Techno Classica Essen 2018 - It was born as an Auto-Union 1000 SP and received a body made by Devin Enterprises. It appears to be the SS bodyshell. Devins were sold as completed cars and you could also obtain kits.

Not quite the first generation of minibuses, the Ford Transit must surely be one of the first of the genre to come to mind. This 1970 Mk I Transit had a South Hants body conversion based on the standard Ford bodyshell. In truth it was a 12-seat minicoach intended for private hire, rather than a true minibus of the types that were to follow in quantity.

OK Motor Services always had one or two small coaches in its fleet, typically acquired second hand and replaced on a short cycle. HHC 899J was new in 1970 to Regency Hire of Eastbourne. OK acquired it a year later and sold it to J Smith of Amble in 1973. It subsequently passed to various operators until final withdrawal in 1981.

Once again I'm unsure of the source of the base image, which may have been taken on an Omnibus Society visit to OK's Bishop Auckland depot (22-Sep-11).

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

The classic Edale shot from the station platforms sees 150220 departing Edale working 2S15, 07:12 Sheffield – Manchester Piccadilly past the signal box and heading for Cowburn Tunnel, 17th July 2013. The tunnel takes the Hope Valley line out of the Edale valley under Colborne (part of a 1,700 ft moorland link between Kinder Scout and Rushup Edge). It was built by the Midland Railway in 1891 and is 3702 yards long.

Unit History

150220 is one of the final batch of eighty five class 150 two-car units which were built at York in 1986/87 with front-end gangway. They had different interiors to the earlier class 150/1 units and were used on longer-distance services. The end gangways make them very similar in appearance to later batches of the electric class 317 units, also based on the Mark III bodyshell. 150220 was initially allocated to Neville Hill before migrating to Tyseley in the early 1990’s. Whilst at Tyseley the unit was split and the individual vehicles used to form three car 150/1 sets with 52220 formed with 150118 to become 150018 and 57220 formed with 150119 to become 150019. With introduction of the class 172 fleet in 2012 these hybrid three car sets were generally disbanded and 150220 was reformed and transferred to Newton Heath.

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.

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 only Jaguar XJ220 in the world that lived up to its name, being fitted with a stunning V12 engine and making it the world's fastest production car. However, costs, setbacks, a recession or two and a myriad of other problems resulted in the dream becoming a nightmare, and the match of styling and power made in heaven being turned quickly into a BDSM session in hell!

The proposal for the Jaguar XJ220 seemed to come right out of nowhere. In 1986 the company was sold to Ford after ownership under British Leyland, and was producing a selection of strange luxury motors including the XJS and the XJ, which, although were very good and highly luxury machines, weren't exactly setting the world on fire.

But racing had been put forward to the company before, and racing team owner Tom Walkinshaw encouraged Jaguar to put one of their XJS's into the 1981 European Touring Car Championship, in which they succeeded in winning the competition in 1984. Jaguar had started to provide factory support to racing team Group 44 Racing, who were using the Jaguar-engined XJR-5 in the IMSA GT Championship, supplying V12 engines from 1983 onwards and supporting a Le Mans entry in 1984. Tom Walkinshaw and Jaguar agreed to entering the FIA Group C World Sportscar Championship and developed the XJR-6, which was powered by the Jaguar V12 engine; the car was launched during the 1985 season.

TWR took over the IMSA GT Championship operation in 1988 and one model – Jaguar XJR-9 – was launched to compete in both series. The XJR-9, which retained the Jaguar V12 engine, went on to win the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Sportscar Championship in the same year. The poor fuel consumption of the Jaguar V12 combined with new rules restricting refuelling during races forced the replacement of the V12 engine in the XJR-9s successors, the XJR-10 and XJR-11. The normally-aspirated Austin Rover V64V engine, designed for the MG Metro 6R4 had recently been made redundant thanks to the Group B rally ban in 1987, and the design rights were for sale. The compact, lightweight and fuel efficient nature of the small-displacement, turbocharged engine was investigated by TWR, who considered it an ideal basis for a new engine to power the XJR-10 and purchased the design rights from Austin Rover Group.

Jaguar and their Director of Engineering, Jim Randle, felt these racing cars were too far removed from the product available to the general public, especially with the rule changes that mandated the replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine in the forthcoming XJR-10 and XJR-11 racing cars. Therefore a project was initiated to design and build a car capable of winning Le Mans "in house", just as the Jaguar C-Type and D-Type had done. The groundwork for the project was undertaken by Randle over Christmas 1987, when he produced a 1:4 scale cardboard model of a potential Group B racing car.

The cardboard model was taken into the Jaguar styling studio and two mock-ups were produced. One was said to be reminiscent of the Porsche 956, the other took elements of the then current Jaguar XJ41 project and Malcolm Sayer's work on the stillborn Jaguar XJ13 racing car.

The project still had no official support, leaving Randle no option but to put together a team of volunteers to work evenings and weekends in their own time. The team came to be known as "The Saturday Club", and consisted of twelve volunteers. To justify the resources consumed by the project, the XJ220 needed to provide meaningful data to the engineers on handling, aerodynamics, particularly at high speeds, and aluminium structures. These requirements, together with FIA racing regulations and various government regulations governing car design and safety influenced the overall design and engineering direction of the car.

The FIA Group B regulations steered the concept towards a mid-engine, four-wheel drive layout, with a Jaguar V12 engine as the power source. The concept car was designed and built at very little cost to Jaguar, as Randle called in favours from component suppliers and engineering companies he and Jaguar had worked with in the past. In return he offered public recognition for their assistance and dangled the possibility of future contracts from Jaguar.

The name XJ220 was chosen as a continuation of the naming of the Jaguar XK120, which referred to the top speed of the model in miles per hour. The concept car had a targeted top speed of 220 mph so became the XJ220. The XK120, like the XJ220, was an aluminium-bodied sports car, and when launched was the fastest production car in the world.

Jaguar and engine designer Walter Hassan had previously created a 48-valve variant of their V12 engine specifically for motorsport use. It featured a double overhead camshaft layout with four valves per cylinder, compared with the single overhead camshaft and two valves per cylinder of the production engine, which was used in the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XJS models at the time.

TWR and Cosworth had manufactured a number of these racing V12 engines during the 1980s and they had been raced competitively, with a 7-litre version of this engine featuring in the Le Mans winning Silk Cut Jaguar XJR-9. Five of these engines still existed, all of which were fitted with dry sump lubrication. These engines were chosen and considered to be especially useful as the dry sump would lower the vehicle's centre of gravity. The displacement of the V12 was set at 6.2L for the XJ220.

Jaguar had little experience with four-wheel drive systems at the time, having previously only produced rear-wheel drive cars. Randle approached Tony Rolt's company, FF Developments to design the transmission and four-wheel drive system for the XJ220, with Rolt's son Stuart running the project. Tony Rolt was the Technical Director of Ferguson Research, where he was heavily involved in the design of the four-wheel drive system used in the Jensen FF, the first sports car to be fitted with such a transmission. Tony Rolt also had a long involvement with Jaguar, winning the 1953 24 Hours of Le Mans with the factory works team driving the Jaguar C-Type.

The mid-engine complicated the design of the four-wheel drive system, and an innovative solution was needed to get drive from the rear of the engine to the front wheels. The chosen design took the front-wheel drive from the central differential on the rear transaxle and sent it through the V in the centre of the engine using a quill drive, before joining an inverted differential. The clutch was a twin-plate unit designed by AP Racing.

The design brief for the exterior restricted the use of aerodynamic aids, and aimed for a stylish yet functional body similar to the Jaguar D-Type. Drag and lift were limited at the envisioned ground clearance for road use, but the design allowed for additional downforce when the car was set up for racing; the body produced around 3,000 lb of downforce at 200 mph. The design was also intended to have a variable rear wing that folded into the bodywork at lower speeds. Aerodynamic work was undertaken at the Motor Industry Research Association wind tunnel using a 1:4 scale model, as the project was unable to budget for a full-scale mock-up.

The bodywork for the concept car displayed in 1988 was hand built from aluminium by Park Sheet Metal, a specialist automotive engineering company that manufactures concept cars and low-volume, niche models for various manufacturers, including Bentley. QCR Coatings undertook final painting of the bodyshell in silver. The concept also featured electrically operated scissor doors and a transparent engine cover to show off the V12 engine.

The concept car had a Connolly Leather-trimmed interior produced by Callow & Maddox, and was fitted with front and rear heated windscreens, electric windows, air conditioning, heated electrically adjustable seats with an Alpine Electronics CD player. The dashboard was supplied by Veglia.

The concept car was completed in the early hours of 18 October 1988, the day it was due to be unveiled at the British International Motor Show, being held at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

Jaguar's marketing department had allocated space on their stand at the motor show for the XJ220, but had not seen the vehicle until its arrival. Jaguar chairman John Egan and Roger Putnam, who was in charge of Jaguar's racing activities, were shown the vehicle the week before the motor show and signed off on the concept, allowing its unveiling. The car received an overwhelmingly positive reception by public and press, and a number of wealthy Jaguar enthusiasts handed over blank cheques to secure a purchase option should the XJ220 concept go into production. Ferrari displayed their F40 model at the same event; an estimated 90,000 additional visitors came to see the Jaguar and Ferrari cars.

The XJ220 was not initially intended to be a production car, but, following the reception of the concept and financial interest from serious buyers, a feasibility study was carried out by teams from TWR and Jaguar. Its conclusion was that such a car would be technically feasible, and that it would be financially viable. The announcement of a limited production run of 220 to 350 cars came on 20 December 1989. The list price on 1 January 1990 was £290,000 exclusive of value added tax, options and delivery charges, but by 1992 that had increased considerably owing to indexation of contracts. The offer was four times oversubscribed, and deposits of £50,000 exclusive of Value Added Tax (VAT) were taken from around 1400 customers; first deliveries were planned for mid-1992.

What Jaguar didn't reckon on was that the 1990's were going to get off to a very bad start, with a good old fashioned recession to usher in the new decade. This, combined with the various downgrades that would have to follow to make the car road legal, would result in the Jaguar XJ220 giving the company and the customers headaches in more ways than one.

In 1991, the company constructed a new £4 million factory at Wykham Mill, Bloxham, for the single purpose of building the XJ220, the plant being opened by the late Princess Diana. But, in order to comply with a variety of road legislation, engineering requirements resulted in significant changes to the specification of the XJ220, most notably replacement of the Jaguar V12 engine by a turbocharged V6 engine.This downgraded engine made that desirable rocket car more run-of-the-mill, and many pulled back their deposits.

At the same time the economy collapsed and when the first production cars left the factory in 1992, many of the original potential buyers who had put down their hefty deposits found that they couldn't afford it, and wanted their money back. Many of them cited the fact that the four wheel drive, V12 had been downgraded to a two wheel drive, V6, and thus they weren't getting what they paid for. The result was that Jaguar went so far as to take their customers to court, and forced them to buy a car they no longer wanted, the problem being exacerbated by the fact that in 1993, the McLaren F1 took the title of world's fastest production car, was available with the V12 and all things it promised, and was much smaller and more manageable than the bulky XJ220.

A total of just 275 cars were produced by the time production ended, 22 of their LHD models never being sold, each with a retail price of £470,000 in 1992, probably one of the biggest automotive flops in motoring history, right up there with the DeLorean and the Edsel. But this would later be advantageous for many, as this pedigree 'worlds-fastest-car' machine would go in later years for a much lower price. £150,000 mind you, but it's a lot better buying the one's that weren't sold at this reduced price, than at the initial asking price back in 1992. Therefore buyers were able to procure themselves a first-hand XJ220, for half the price, a representative saving of nearly £250,000.

Today the XJ220's are rare beasts indeed, rarely coming out to play due largely to their expensive upkeep, heavy fuel consumption and sheer size. But keep your eyes open in some of the more affluent neighbourhoods, be they Dubai, Beverley Hills, or the South of France, and chances are you'll be able to find one.

Another day, another E-Type, and this example is one of what many consider the better cars, being the stylish and flamboyant Series I fitted with the powerful and reliable 4.2L Straight Six engine!

One of the most revolutionary cars in all of motoring history, a car that has often been declared as the Space Shuttle in the Middle Ages! Beauty, style and performance all harnessed in one simple bodyshell. It can't be anything other than the Jaguar E-Type!

When it was launched in 1961, Britain was still very much an antiquated Victorian country, and transport was not much better. Steam Trains still had another 7 years to go and the most you could get out of the Motor Industry were flaky BMC products such as the humble Austin Cambridge and the Morris Minor. Unbeknownst to this very slow moving world of modesty, the entire picture was about to be turned on its head. In music, the Beatles rocked their way into everlasting legacy, the De Havilland Comet brought nations closer together, and Jaguar launched the E-Type, a car that set the motoring world ablaze!

Designed by Malcolm Sayer and powered by a 3.8L Straight Six engine, the Jaguar E-Type could now whisk people to 150mph, and with there being no speed limits back then, that was not too much of a stretch to imagine. You just had to look at it to see nothing but speed, everything about it was designed to go as fast as possible!

In spirit, the E-Type can trace its roots back to the race ready D-Type, also designed by Malcolm Sayer and notable for raking home victory after victory at Le Mans, being credited with being one of the most advanced sports cars of all time. A limited edition road going version, the XKSS, made the idea of a D-Type on the public highway possible, and parts developed in this often forgotten little gem helped to culminate in the final and superb E-Type.

On March 16th 1961, the E-Type was released upon the unsuspecting public at the Geneva Motor Show to an absolute roar of applause and acclaim. It made the front page of pretty much every newspaper in Europe, and orders absolutely rolled in by the thousand! The thing that made the E-Type so desirable was the fact that it was fun on a budget, a high performance 150mph capable machine for an affordable price of just £2,000, the equivalent of about £40,000 today. Now you may think that's a lot of money, but when you consider that a car of comparable beauty and performance was double that price, you'd know it was something truly special.

However, this proved to be a problem for the comparatively small company, who simply couldn't turn out the cars fast enough to supply the demand. Millions and Millions of Pounds worth of orders were being placed, with some owners even going so far as to place deposits at 10 to 15 Jaguar dealers hoping that one of them could give them a car! The biggest problem was trying to supply differing markets, especially if you were British because in order to appease the desperate American buyers, cars would be built in LHD for 6 month periods at a time, which meant if you were someone wishing to buy a car here in the UK, you'd be stuck for the best part of a year!

But it was obvious why, these cars were unrealistically fast! Tap the pedal and you'd be at 60mph in 7.1 seconds, press it further and you'd be over 100, and if you pressed it further, the bonnet would rise and with blood gushing from your eyes and every fibre of your body telling you to stop, you'd be hitting 150mph! That doesn't sound like much today considering the Aston Martins and Ferrari's we're so used to, but in 1961 this was absolutely unheard of.

Not that your E-Type would ever make 150mph because Jaguar had been a tad naughty. As it turns out the initial test cars that had been leant to the Press had been tuned to reach that golden 150, but the rest of the flock would barely go that fast. This was further compounded by a troublesome gearbox, hopeless brakes, cramped interior and uncomfortable seats. Jaguar's con had only been done to bless their car with the initial fame that would sell the production models, but in 1965 Jaguar chose to redress the issue by fitting the car with a much larger and much better 4.2L Straight Six engine.

But once the novelty had worn off the E-Type was starting to become maligned. Much like owning a topping Rolls Royce, seeing one being driven in the street opened the wounds of jealousy that continued to divide the social classes, and if you were very lucky you'd only get away with a disapproving look or a nasty name, if you weren't expect a brick, a can of paint or a rock to be hurtled in your direction! At the same time because so many cars had been built, the Second Hand market became saturated which meant that people could pick up early ones for a song, which removed the exclusivity that these vehicles had once commanded. Again, much like a Rolls Royce these owners only saw them as ways to get women to take off their clothes for you, and thus didn't exactly give them the love that such cars required.

However, this was before we got to the biggest problem of them all, America.

Actually I take it back, America can't be blamed for everything, in fact the stringent safety legislation and rules on car manufacturing can be credited to the increased safety of modern motor vehicles, the people to be blamed though are in fact the car manufacturers themselves for not being able to incorporate the compulsory safety features whilst still keeping the car stylish.

But still, throughout the 1960's the death of James Dean had resulted in a gradual increase in safety legislation on US Highways, and in order to have a market there, cars had to conform. The height of the headlights, the bumpers, the smoke emissions, the recess of the switches, all of these things were scrutinised and had to be taken into account by car builders. The E-Type became a shameful victim as its looks were compromised with changes to the lights, and body profile. To be honest the Series II was not that bad a car, still retaining much of its charm, especially when you compare it to 1971's Series III which was formulated by British Leyland. With the cabin looking like it had sunk, the lights being stretched and contorted, and sporting a massive 5.3L V12 engine. By this point many of the cars former buyers saw the E-Type as damaged beyond repair and thus sales began to tumble. British Leyland however had been planning to replace the car since the late 1960's, and after much deliberation its replacement, the Jaguar XJS, was launched in 1975, bringing an end to the increasingly hard to sell E-Type. Although very well performing, in terms of looks, the XJS was considered by many classic Jag fans to be absolute heresy, but would go on to have a much longer life that the E-Type, being built until 1996.

However, even before the last E-Type left the production line the originals were already being hailed as classical heroes. In total well over 70,000 of these cars had been sold, and a large number of them remain on the roads. During the late 70's and 80's the car continued to be a major pin-up, often ending up rather oddly, and to my mind a bit shamefully, in erotic films and porn movies (I sure hope they washed thoroughly afterwards). But when you look at the E-Type you can understand why, it is a seriously sexy looking car!

So iconic and so stylish were these cars that over the years many different replica models have also been made. Throughout the 1990's the company Eagle GB built the Eagle E-Type, brand new cars built to exactly the same specifications as the original Series I versions, whilst in 2011 the Eagle Speedster was produced, revising the bodyshape but attempting to maintain the charm of the original, and in 2014 several remaining chassis from the original production run that had been kept in storage are intended to be built into fully functioning cars.

The E-Type may have died a long time ago, but its reputation isn't letting up! :D

As with the preceding 404, Peugeot had Pininfarina design a two-door coupé and cabriolet variant which were first introduced at the Geneva Salon in March 1969. Aside from designing them, Pininfarina also built the bodyshells. The two-door 504s have a 190 mm (7.5 in) shorter wheelbase and also a wider rear track. The shells were built in Turin and then sent to Peugeot's Sochaux plant for assembly.

Mechanically, the 504 Coupé and Cabriolet were largely identical to the saloons, sharing the 1.8-liter four (upgraded to two litres for 1970) with no additional performance enhancements. Once the 604 arrived, however, the sportier 504s finally got an engine to match their looks: the 2.7-litre V6 PRV engine, producing 136 PS (100 kW) was fitted beginning in September 1974 and the four-cylinder variants discontinued. This was also time for a facelift (2nd series), with redesigned bumpers and interior, and with single, wide headlights replacing the initial twin units. The triple taillights were also changed for wider, single units. The V6 was not a strong seller in fuel crisis Europe, however, and the 2.0 was reintroduced in October 1977, by which time about 27,000 examples had been built by Pininfarina. The V6 Cabriolet was discontinued but the V6 Coupé gained a five-speed manual transmission and Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injection, with power increased to 144 PS (106 kW).

W111

Les Grandes Marques du Monde au Grand Palais

Bonhams

Estimated : € 60.000 - 70.000

Parijs - Paris

Frankrijk - France

February 2018

- Delivered new to France

- Automatic transmission

- Valid technical inspection

- Registered in the Netherlands

Introduced in 1965, Mercedes-Benz's new S-Class range was outwardly distinguishable from preceding models by a sleeker bodyshell with lower roof and waistlines, and increased glass area. All models featured similar all-independent suspension, as well as four-wheel disc brakes and power-assisted steering. The coupé and cabriolet, though, kept the timelessly elegant coachwork first seen back in 1960; longer than their predecessors, these elegant cars featured a wider radiator shell, wraparound windscreen, enlarged rear window, and vertically positioned twin headlamps, all of which were carried over to their 250 SE equivalents. As befitted top-of-the-range luxury models, the duo came equipped with air conditioning, electric windows, and stereo radio as standard.

The 250 SE employed a fuel-injected version of Mercedes-Benz's new, overhead-camshaft, seven-bearing 'six' displacing 2.496 cc and developing 150 bhp at 5.600 rpm. There was a choice of four-speed manual or automatic transmissions, while the rear suspension featured Mercedes-Benz's hydro-pneumatic compensating spring. Thus equipped, the 250 SE was good for 193 km/h, with 96 km/h reachable in 12 seconds, a substantial improvement on the superseded 220 SE's figures. Today all examples of these classic coupés and cabriolets are highly sought after.

The 250 SE coupé offered here was delivered new to France and comes with its original books and tools. Finished in brown metallic with Cognac leather interior, the car is described by the vendor as in generally good/excellent condition, and is offered with maintenance records, Netherlands registration papers, and valid technical inspection.

The only picture I ever took from this particular vantage point at the northern end of the Reddish complex, this view shows withdrawn Class 40 no. 40136 standing at the head of a line of redundant Class 76s. In the background to the left of the Class 506 EMU a Class 76 bodyshell, belonging to 76050, lies on the ground.

Austin Allegro 2 Equipe (1979) Engine 1750cc S4 Tr

Registration Number CBW 888 V

AUSTIN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759808208...

The Allegro 2 was launched at the 1975 London Motor Show, remaining in production until replaced by the Allegro 3 late 1979 for the 1980 model year.

With the same bodyshells, as the original Allegro but featuring a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat room. The Estate gained a new coachline running over the wing top lip and window edges. Changes were also made to the suspension, braking, engine mounts and drive shafts.

In the lead-up to the launch of the series 3 Austin Allegro, newly-recruited Austin Apprentice Stephen Harper joined the team of young stylists tasked with raising the appeal of the Longbridge-built mid-liner. Harper had already come up with the LE limited edition, and the Equipe was a development of this theme – bold looking graphics combined with the two-door shell and 1750cc engine was to be BL’s answer to the Alfasud ti. With graphics designed by Harper and Tom Owen, shortly before his move to Jaguar. He added: ‘these wheels were the first (off the shelf) supplied by GKN, who later went on to manufacture the unique Equipe wheels.

A special one off Automatic was built for WW II ace Douglas Bader

According to the - How Many Left site only three Allegro Equipe's remainined as of 2013

Shot at Tatton Park, Manchester, Classic Car Show 18:08:2012 REF 88-44.

Austin Allegro 1500SDL Mk2 (1975-79) Engines 1485cc S4 E Series.

Registration Number UTC 884 T (Bristol)

AUSTIN ALBUM

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/albums/72157623759808208

The Allegro was designed as a replacement for the 1100 - 1300 models, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis the new car was launched in 1973. The Allegro used front-wheel drive, using the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine (from the Maxi), in 1500 cc and 1750 cc displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300). Stylistically the car bucked the trend of the 1970's sharp edge look in favour of a rounded bodyshell Early Allegro models featured a "quartic" steering wheel, which was rectangular with rounded sides. This was touted as allowing extra room between the base of the steering wheel and the driver's legs.

The quartic wheel did not take off, and was dropped in 1974

The updated Allegro 2 was launched at the 1975 London Motorshow the Allegro 2 had the same bodyshells but featured a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat room, Changes were also made to the suspension, braking, engine mounts and drive shafts.

The Allegro received its second major update, launched as the Allegro 3 at the end of 1979. The refreshed car used an "A-Plus" version of the 1.0 litre A-Series engine (developed for the forthcoming new Metro), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going, but by then the Allegro was outdated and the Metro was due on stream in 1980. By 1980 the Allegro failed to dent the he top 10 best selling new cars in Britain, a table it had topped a decade earlier, though BL were represented by the fast selling Metro and the Triumph Acclaim. The Vanden Plas models were rebranded as the 1.5 and the 1.7, the 1.5 having a twin carburettor 1500 cc engine and a manual gearbox, while the 1.7 had a single carburettor 1750cc engine and an automatic gearbox. Some models of Allegro 3 (the early HL and later HLS models) were equipped with four round headlights, rather than the more usual two rectangular ones. The final Allegro was built in March 1982 with its successor the Austin Maestro going into production December 1982.

Diolch am 83,589,018 o olygfeydd anhygoel, mae pob un yn 90cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.

Thanks for 83,589,018 amazing views, every one is greatly appreciated.

Shot 25.07.2021 at Beaumanor Hall, Woodhouse, Leic. 148-047

Speeding north through Lichfield Trent Valley with the 1F16 London Euston to Liverpool Lime Street is this unidentified Virgin Trains Class 390 Pendolino.

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.

Lancia Fulvia Sport (1967-76) Engine 1584cc V4 Production 134,035 (+ 6170 Sport models)

Registrtion Number TYD 888 M

LANCIA SET

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

The Fulvia Coupe was originally launched in 1965 as a compact 2 dood, designed in house by Piero Castagnero with a shorter wheelbase than the Saloon and initially powered by a 1216cc, or 1231cc engine with 80bhp. Numerous versions followed powered by a variety of 1300 and 1600cc engines.

The Sport is a rebodied Coupe, with an aluminium bodyshell, the 1600 has an uprated 1584cc engine producing 115bhp, this version has electric front windows and was the fastest of the production Fulvia's with a top speed of 118mph

A big thanks for 21.3 million views

Shot 20:04:2014 at Weston Park Ref 99a-283

Seen ambling away from a stop at Dawlish station is First Great Western Class 143, 143621, working a train from Exmouth to Paignton.

The Class 143's were built by BREL at the Derby works as a development of the Bus-Like Pacer units that had been pioneered by the earlier Class 141's. A very cheap and basic design, the Pacers are essentially Leyland National bus frames nailed to flatbed wagon bases fitted with Cummins engines. Earlier versions such as the Class 141's and 142's were built by British Leyland and heavily resembled their bus-ancestors, but later changes to the design for a much more robust bodyshell resulted in the 143. The 143's were later complimented by the Class 144's, a set of near identical units that were dispersed across the West and South Yorkshire regions, with their main distinguishing feature being that several are formed of three-cars.

Upon introduction in 1985, the Class 143's found themselves being dispersed in the North East around Tyneside and on the Valley Lines of South Wales, but are all now resigned to the South West.

My model is based on the Bachmann class 150 units.

The model class 150/0 uses a total of five Bachmann Sprinter bodyshells (two class 150/2 shells and three class 150/1 shells).

To build the Motor Standard coach the short end of a class 150/2 shell and the long end from a class 150/1 shell are used. The is is because the bodyside water fillers are in the correct position on a class 150/1 shell and on the opposite side on the class 150/2. The masking tape outlines a future cut to separate the single leaf sliding door for splicing into the class 150/1 bodyshell later.

The class 150 Prototype Sprinters are the pre-series Sprinter Diesel Multiple Units that led to the large scale class 150/1 and class 150/2 orders that are still to be seen across the UK railway network.

The two prototype units (150001 & 150002) were each built with mechanical differences to evaluate both Voith and SCG transmissions and Rolls Royce and Cummins power units. The also are the only Sprinter type units with a purpose built powered centre car, and had differences in door configuration to the production batches.

Singer Chamois (1964-70) Engine 875cc S4 OC

Registration Number WYU 913 H (London)

SINGER SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623722487129...

The Singer Chamois was introduced in October 1964 as an attempt to increase the Imps apeal with a more upmarket version the Chamois featured wider rimmed wheels, walnut veneer. external side trim, a wider choice of colours and metalic paint options along with a horizontal grille. Later (1969 on) cars have quad headlights.

In 1966 the Chamois was joined by the Chamois Sport with output increased from 39bhp to 55bhp by virtue of a twin carburettor sports engine version of the 875cc unit, and servo assisted brakes, the interiors featured reclining seats, quad headlamps from 1969 in line with the standard Chamois.

In 1967 the range was further expanded with the Chamois Coupe The coupe bodyshell is similar to the standard body but features a more shallow-raked windscreen and rear window which, unlike that on the standard bodied cars, can not be opened

In 1969 the Chamois was updated with the addition of twin headlamps

Many thanks for a fantabulous

48,648,296 views

Shot at the NEC Classic Car Show 13:11:2015 Ref. 112-488

For 1961, Mercury underwent a major transformation of its model line. In a transition from 1957 to 1960, Mercury again shared a bodyshell with a divisional counterpart, shifting from Edsel to Ford, with the Monterey becoming the equivalent of the Ford Galaxie. The Montclair and Park Lane were discontinued, shifting the Monterey from the base-trim Mercury sedan to its flagship, slotted above the newly introduced Mercury Meteor (as with the Comet, intended as an Edsel before the discontinuation of the division). One of the first examples of downsizing, by adopting a common chassis and body with Ford, the Monterey lost six inches of wheelbase, nearly two inches of width, and over 4 inches of length; dependent on powertrain, the 1961 Monterey shed over 300 pounds of curb weight. At 120 inches, the Monterey was given a 1-inch longer wheelbase than the Galaxie.

The Monterey was offered in four bodystyles, including two and four-door hardtops, a four-door sedan, and a two-door convertible. Sharing its roofline with the Galaxie (except for the Starliner fastback), the Monterey differed primarily by its grille; in place of two large taillamps, Mercury used six small taillamps. While slightly more adorned than its Galaxie counterpart, the Monterey continued to adopt more subdued styling, shifting chrome trim nearly entirely to the front and rear fascias and the roofline.

Shared with the Ford Galaxie, the Monterey again received the 292 cubic-inch Y-block V8 (175 hp), with the option of 352 and 390 cubic-inch FE V8s (220 hp and 300/330 hp, respectively). As before, 3-speed manual and 3-speed automatics were offered, with a 4-speed manual becoming an option.

The Class 455 was originally to be classified as the Class 510, at which point they were planned as a 750 V DC version of the Class 317. However, as the chopper control system at the time was not considered robust enough for the electrically rougher third rail Southern Region, they were fitted with second-hand camshaft control systems instead. The Class 510 designation was also discarded in favour of Class 455. A total of 505 carriages were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's Holgate Road carriage works and together with 43 existing trailers from Class 508s, formed 137 four-car sets. The 455s allowed the Class 405 and Class 415 to be withdrawn, as well as allowing the Class 508s to be transferred to the Merseyside network for which they were originally intended. They also allowed other stock to be cascaded to the North London and Oxted lines.

There were three batches of Class 455s, all consisting of four cars: driving trailer vehicles at each end, an intermediate trailer vehicle and an intermediate motorised vehicle (powered by four EE507-20J of 185 kW carried on the bogies of the MSO vehicle, some recovered from Class 405s), all originally built to the standard class 3+2 seating arrangement with 316 seats. Technically, they are formed DTSO+MSO+TSO+DTSO. They have the same bodyshell as the Class 317 and Class 318, but as they were designed for inner suburban services they do not feature first class seating, air conditioning or toilet facilities and are restricted to 75mph (121 km/h). Like the Class 317/318, as well as the diesel Class 150, they are based on the British Rail Mark 3, with a steel construction, unlike the earlier PEP based Class 313, Class 314, Class 315, Class 507 and Class 508, which had an aluminium alloy body.

The Class 455/8s were built between 1982 and 1984. These include all 46 Southern units (allocated to Stewarts Lane depot) and 28 allocated to South Western Railway (at Wimbledon depot). The Class 455/7s were built in 1984–1985. There were 43 four-car units, all allocated to South Western Railway at Wimbledon depot. They differed from the 455/8s in having a revised front end (air horns relocated next to the coupler and revised headlamp clusters) that was later used on Class 317/2 and Class 318 units. No new intermediate trailer (TSO) vehicles were produced for this subclass; instead, they used redundant TSO vehicles that had been removed from Class 508 units prior to those units being transferred to Merseyrail in Liverpool. The reused vehicles can be recognised by their shorter and wider profile compared to 'normal' Class 455 vehicles.

The Class 455/9s were built in 1985, and all 20 units are allocated to South Western Railway at Wimbledon depot. These are similar to the 455/7s, except that they had new-build TSOs, except for 455912, which has a TSO formerly part of one of the prototype Class 210 DEMUs (which also had the same bodyshell). 455913's MSO 67301 was formerly a Class 210 driving vehicle, with the one good end of vehicle 62838 (which was damaged after being crushed by a falling cement mixer lorry) mated with the former cab end. The rest of 62838 was scrapped.

Following on from the 8.5m Pointer, Paragon have produced a second resin bodyshell to fit EFE Dart running gear. This is the fairly rare step-entrance UVG UrbanStar and I built this one as Red Rose's N219 HBK. The livery seems to have been designed specifically for this vehicle and is probably the most complex I have ever replicated, involving many hours and a lot of masking tape!

Austin Allegro 1300SDL Mk2 (1976-80) Engines 1098cc. S4 Tr.

Registration Number MFK 935 V (Dudley)

AUSTIN SET

www.flickr.com/photos/45676495@N05/sets/72157623759808208...

The Allegro was designed as a replacement for the 1100 - 1300 models, designed by Sir Alec Issigonis the new car was launched in 1973. The Allegro used front-wheel drive, using the familiar A-Series engine with a sump-mounted transmission. The higher-specification models used the SOHC E-Series engine (from the Maxi), in 1500 cc and 1750 cc displacements. The two-box saloon bodyshell was suspended using the new Hydragas system (derived from the previous Hydrolastic system used on the 1100/1300). Stylistically the car bucked the trend of the 1970's sharp edge look in favour of a rounded bodyshell Early Allegro models featured a "quartic" steering wheel, which was rectangular with rounded sides. This was touted as allowing extra room between the base of the steering wheel and the driver's legs. The quartic wheel did not take off, and was dropped in 1974

The updated Allegro 2 was launched at the 1975London Motorshow the Allegro 2 had the same bodyshells but featured a new grille, reversing lights on most models and some interior changes to increase rear seat room, Changes were also made to the suspension, braking, engine mounts and drive shafts.

The Allegro received its second major update, launched as the Allegro 3 at the end of 1979. The refreshed car used an "A-Plus" version of the 1.0 litre A-Series engine (developed for the forthcoming new Metro), and featured some cosmetic alterations in an attempt to keep the momentum going, but by then the Allegro was outdated and the Metro was due on stream in 1980. By 1980 the Allegro failed to dent the he top 10 best selling new cars in Britain, a table it had topped a decade earlier, though BL were represented by the fast selling Metro and the Triumph Acclaim. The Vanden Plas models were rebranded as the 1.5 and the 1.7, the 1.5 having a twin carburettor 1500 cc engine and a manual gearbox, while the 1.7 had a single carburettor 1750cc engine and an automatic gearbox. Some models of Allegro 3 (the early HL and later HLS models) were equipped with four round headlights, rather than the more usual two rectangular ones. The final Allegro was built in March 1982 with its successor the Austin Maestro going into production December 1982

Many thanks for a fantabulous 36,946,500 views

Shot at theBlack Country Car Show, Himley Hall 06.09.2015 Ref 106-815