Established in 1980, our mag is staffed by writers who buy, restore, fix and break down in classics of all eras. In our workshop, all classics are equal!
We’re sorry to say designer Tom Karen OBE has died. Creator of some the most memorable, original and ingenious designs - from Scimitar, Bug, Robin and Chopper - Tom lived in Cambridge and passed away peacefully at the age of 96. Farewell to a great gentleman.
This stolen Mini has been seen on the move in the West Midlands this evening. Keep your eyes peeled - it’s being towed by a Shogun. Police are aware and trying to track it.
Designer Robert Opron has died. Having reached a grand old age, he leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Opron will be remembered as one of the true greats. Bon voyage, monsieur. (Main pic is our resident Opron fan
@James_Walshe
with his dad)
#robertopron
STOLEN! Make this Mini hotter than hot. Reg: DME 838V
Pinched from a street in Brighton, West Sussex. Do your thing, folks! Let’s find it asap. Owner is devastated.
So, that's it then. The SUV is taking over. Ford's Fiesta reportedly dies next year. Does this spell the end of the sensibly sized small car? We hope not.
In the current issue of the magazine, broadcasting legend and exceptionally lovely man John Humphrys of
@BBCRadio4
tells us about his Rover 600, which he has owned from new.
Ever owned a Cavalier Mk1? Soon after the Opel Ascona (on which it was based) was launched, the 1975-1981 Cav was supposed to get unique bodywork and its own cabin. In the end, it was mostly identical to the Ascona - aside from a longer bonnet and that ‘droop snoot’ front.
Could this mark the return to proper dashboards? This is the new Toyota GR Yaris. Knobs and buttons are back and no clumsy ‘afterthought’ screen stuck to the dash. Quite refreshing, we reckon.
Under wraps! The FULL behind-the-scenes story of a new attraction is coming soon in PC. The Great British Car Journey is the brainchild of our pal Richard Usher, who’ll be giving you an exclusive guided tour of all the cars next month in the mag. Plus you can drive some of them!
RIP, our friend and designer of iconic cars, Harris Mann who died this week. A great supporter of the classic car scene – especially the clubs that continue to celebrate his most memorable creations – Harris was a regular at rallies where he’d always have time for his fans.
Group B rallying was banned in 1986, the cars having become dangerously powerful. Quattros, Deltas and Metros with 500bhp on gravel was never going to end well, was it? But what noises!
We had the pleasure of featuring the world’s oldest right hand drive Citroën CX in the last issue of the mag - a car our James fished out of a field some years ago and later restored to perfection by fellow enthusiast Philip Hanson.
One of our favourite car people - journalist, TV legend, Traction Avant fan and all-round lovely chap - Chris Goffey is in Practical Classics this month. From his career beginnings to ‘that’ Austin Maestro incident, full interview is in the new issue of the mag… out now!
These two made quite an impact in the 1980s - the economical Peugeot 104 based Talbot Samba was affordable and sold well in the UK and while the Matra Rancho answered a question that nobody asked, 20 years ahead of time it unwittingly set a trend for rugged looking SUVs!
A police investigation is underway after two cherished classics were stolen and then allegedly used in a banger race this weekend. This has been all over social media today and it's getting a lot of people hot under the collar, with the usual speculation and accusations. Pt2 >>>
PLEASE SHARE 😡
This beautiful Mini Clubman belongs to an A&E nurse who came off shift to find it stolen.
It went missing in the South West, but could be anywhere now.
We’ve proven before what a small place we can make the classic car community. It’s time to go to work again.
What a machine this was. The Austin 3-litre rolled out the factory in 1968 and although in the scheme of things it was a flop, it was nevertheless immensely luxurious and great to drive. These days, there's a superb club run by folk who truly adore this car... and we can see why.
On this day in 1969, Concorde 002 G-BSST took to the skies for the first time. During the short test flight from Filton, she flew out to Chepstow, then Malmesbury, Swindon and Wantage before landing at RAF Fairford. She’s now on display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Yeovilton.
Wolseley version of the 1975 18-22 series. Thanks to Moulton's Hydragas, few cars rode or handled as well at the time. Sadly, like many other cars of this period, it victim to the oil crisis, shonky build and industrial unrest (but unlike others got rather unfairly picked on).
Great estates! But which would you want in your driveway? We buy, restore, maintain, enjoy and use classics like this as our daily drivers... just like you do. Come join the club and get the mag delivered to your door each month!
We’re sad to report the death of Richard Parry-Jones, the man who led development of some truly game-changing cars from Ford, among others. His career spanned 40 remarkable years, his work setting new standards for family cars worldwide. A great man who’ll be sorely missed.
How do you rebuild your crash damaged 2CV at the
@Lancaster_Ins
@ClassicMotorNEC
then? With a little help from your friends, that's how! It's work in progress but the car is bolted together and running beautifully again. What a weekend! The 2CV of
@James_Walshe
lives again…
The fantastic Hovercraft Museum near Southampton, where volunteers are working hard to preserve examples of one of the 20th century's greatest engineering feats. Well worth a visit - they need your support to help save the museum and these amazing machines. Well worth a visit!
Happy 40th birthday to the Talbot Samba! Based on the Peugeot 104 and unrelated to other Talbots of the era, it got the ‘X’ series ‘suitcase’ engine shared Citroën’s Visa and LNA. The Samba was built in France and sold quite well in the UK. Something of an unsung hero, we reckon.
The fine work of Sir Alec Issigonis. Minor, Mini, 1100/1300, 1800-2200 ‘Landcrab’ and Britain’s first five door, five speed family hatch - Sir Alec’s final work of genius - the Maxi. Clever cars, all.
#MissingMini
UPDATE ⚠️
STOLEN MINI RECOVERED - we’ve got it!
After a sighting of the car was sent to me by a member of the public a few minutes ago, police raided a location & have got the car.
I’ve just had a short and very emotional conversation with the owner.
JOB DONE. ☑️
One underrated motor car - the Rover 600. Nice ‘re-imagining’ of the Honda Accord by Rover, who did a fine job injecting some added charm into what was already an excellent car. Sweet drive too. Catch this one in the latest issue of Practical Classics.
We love people who, like us, throw themselves into their projects regardless of market value (or what anyone else thinks). E-type or Ambassador, the love for the car is exactly the same. With a lifetime of nostalgia for BL cars, Eric Dalton is painting his cherished Ambo VdP.
Say whatever you want about ‘French build quality’ but there are still millions of old French motors to be seen across even the damp, muddy north of the country. We spotted this lot in just a 20 minute period yesterday. Far more sturdy than the myth-peddlers suggest, we reckon.
Somebody is living the dream. Well… if Ford Orions are your thing. The booted Escort (code name Apollo) is 40 years old this year so it was a pleasant sight to see this one on the A1. The Orion was in the top ten best seller list in the UK every single year between 1984 to 1990!
Which one would you have? All of these are innovative design classics and yet their values haven’t rocketed through the stratosphere like many others we could name. At least not yet…
Bought new in Guildford in 1985 and once daily transport for the Annells family, our
@James_Walshe
was at the wheel of his 2CV when it was squashed between two SUVs while waiting for a ferry. This plucky survivor has been given a paint job and is at the
@NECRestoShow
today!
#passthepicasso
comes to PC! After being passed from YouTubers and many others, this 500,000 mile Picasso turned up at our door still driving like new. Proof that old cars have plenty of life left in them if we keep up the maintenance! Full story in the current issue of the mag.
Our man Rex is at Retromobile in Paris this week. Here are his favourites so far… Renault Fuego, a twin-engine 2CV Sahara, Renault Alpine and a few other Citroëns including an LN, DS and celebrating its 50th birthday, the CX.
Heard the one about the BMC 1800 with a Volkswagen VR6 engine? This rather special sleeper car is featured in the current issue of Practical Classics. Join our club here!
1965 Triumph Fury prototype. Sharing features with the 2000 (6-cyl engine, MacPherson struts at the front and trailing arm at the rear), it was Triumph's first unibody. The firm decided to stick with the ladder chassis though and gave us the TR5 instead a couple of years later.
Full of holes, battered by time and regular use, this genuine workhorse faced an uncertain future. Once featured regularly in the pages of PC, it’s back! Full story will be told over the next few months in the mag. Old Saabs never die!’ (Well, not this one, anyway).