Tag Archives: Classics

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Richard Hammond Drives His Jaguar XK150 For The First Time Since Restoring It

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Richard Hammond is a very happy man. That’s because, for the first time since the body was taken off the frame, he can now drive his Jaguar XK150.

The car, part of a restoration that has been ongoing throughout the pandemic, was traded for a vintage Lagonda. Hammond reveals in his latest video, though, that when he got it, it was in a rotten state.

“It had been painted rather ugly dark red and underneath that dark red paint lurked, unbeknownst to me, a horror story,” explains Hammond. “It had had a hard, hard life. It had been crashed, bent, brutalized, and abused. And because, like a lot of these cars, it went through a phase of being worth two quid and a packet of crisps, it hadn’t been expensively repaired and restored. It had been bodged and lashed together.”

Read Also: Richard Hammond Gets His Own Car Restoration Show, Airs Later This Year

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Hammond and his team went through the process of painstakingly repairing it, which, since it’s an old Jaguar was hard. Millimetric precision wasn’t reality a priority for early postwar carmakers, not in the U.K., anyway. So, as Hammond puts it, there was as much building as restoration involved in this project.

With a completely rebuilt engine and hotter cam, a new diff, and better brakes the car drives brilliantly now, though. The only question is whether or not the decision to fit a slightly newer, but less precise transmission was a good idea.

To see him driving the car proudly really makes me wish I had a classic Jag of my own to toot around in, as well as some Amazon money kicking around to fund it and its restoration. Ah, to be a rich Brit.

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March To The Beat Of Your Own Drum With This Mazda Bongo 4WD

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Mazda‘s lineage includes some interestingly-named vehicles, such as the Scrum Wagon, the Carol Me Lady, and this, the Bongo. But as unusual as its name is, this van is actually quite capable, and now one is up for grabs.

The 1996 Mazda Bongo is listed on Cars & Bids, and it has just 45,700 miles (73,400 km) on its odometer. It’s actually a right-hand drive import that’s been titled in the United States, which is important as the car was never sold here.

Read More: Mazda’s MX-30 Rotary Range Extender Has Been Put On Hold

The exterior is finished in Neat Green and features a set of wonderfully ’90s decals running down the sides. The front includes a brush guard with yellow Bosch auxiliary fog lights, the rear features a roof spoiler, and the van rides on 14-inch wheels with mudguards to protect from splatters. The exterior as a whole certainly isn’t in perfect condition with some dents and scratches here and there, but still it looks used rather than abused.

See Also: Mazda Will Electrify The Next-Generation MX-5 Miata – But How?

The interior is upholstered in gray cloth and features a desirable 8-seat layout with a configurable second-row bench seat as well as folding second- and third-row seats. The front windows are power operated, and the rear passenger windows are manually-sliding. There is heat and air conditioning front and rear, as well as a hot/cold box to keep food and drinks insulated.

Powering the Bongo is 2.0-liter inline-four turbodiesel engine, which is rated at a meager 105 hp (106 PS / 78 kW) and 162 lb-ft (220 Nm) of torque, although it’s very clear this vehicle is not designed for speed. What it is capable of, though, is some moderate off-roading, and as such it sends its power to either the rear or all four wheels via five-speed manual transmission and a two-speed transfer case.

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This Is The Laforza, The V8 Italian Luxury SUV You’ve Never Heard Of

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Chances are you’ve never heard of the Rayton-Fissore Magnum, or Laforza, before but in the mid-1980s and through the 1990s, it was designed as a luxurious off-roader to rival the Range Rover.

This bizarre 4×4 is based on the platform of an Iveco truck and also uses differentials, suspension, and brakes from Iveco. During its 18 years in production, just 6,000 examples were sold, with about 1,200 of them finding homes in the U.S.

While the Rayton-Fissore Magnum had quite a complex name in Europe, it was simply badged as the Laforza in the U.S. The example tested by Doug DeMuro has a 5.0-liter Ford V8 later equipped with a supercharger, although other variants came outfitted with a GM 6.0-liter supercharged V8 paired to a four-speed automatic transmission.

Read More: Before The Urus, Levante And Stelvio, There Was LaForza

This being a vehicle from a small Italian car manufacturer, there are unsurprisingly a lot of interesting features. This is particularly evident in the interior where the 4×4 came fitted with a radar detector from the factory. The owner of this Laforza notes that the radar detector still works. Also found within the cabin is lots of plush leather that DeMuro notes makes the interior of the vehicle feel more luxurious than a Range Rover from the same time period.

Meanwhile, the exterior of the Laforza features a host of parts from different Fiat models, including the headlights and taillights while the panel gaps are also very inconsistent.

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Go On Track Days With This 1990 BMW M3 With An E36 Engine

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A 1990 BMW M3 that has been transformed into a track car is currently up for sale through Bring A Trailer.

This E30 M3 was most recently sold in 2014 as a rolling chassis and while it retained its original body panels, it didn’t have an engine and the cabin was completely bare. The current owner of the car re-built the car and we’re sure it is an absolute joy to drive on the track.

Powering the car is the 3.2-liter S50B32 inline-six from a Euro-spec E36 M3 that pumps out 321 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. This engine has individual throttle bodies and continuously-variable VANOS valve timing. The listing notes that the fluids, sensors, coil packs, and spark plugs were recently changed. Mated to this engine is the five-speed manual transmission of a U.S.-spec E36 M3.

Watch Also: Modified BMW E30 M3 With 800 HP Looks Like A DTM Racer

The exterior has been re-painted in white with tri-color stripes in the signature BMW M colors. A set of 17-inch BBS wheels have also been fitted as have adjustable coilovers. Braking components have also been sourced from an E36 M3. The listing adds that the chassis was sandblasted and seam welded in the process of transforming the car.

As this is a track car, the interior is free of any unnecessary parts and includes OMP fixed-back bucket seats and six-point OMP harnesses. There’s also a Momo Prototipo steering wheel, a fire suppression system, and a roll cage with door bars.

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1983 E28 Alpina B9 Is A Tempting Alternative To A Classic M5

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The E28 BMW 5-Series was the first generation of the sports sedan that saw a proper M version. However, for those looking for something a little more unique, the Alpina B9 offers slightly less outright performance, but much more luxury and style. These cars are hard to come by, yet now, one is up for sale.

This particular 1983 Alpina B9 is listed for sale on 4 Star Classics and it has quite the interesting history. The car began its life in Germany, where it resided for two years before moving to Japan. It stayed there for the next 32 years, until it was finally acquired by the selling dealer back in 2017. On top of all that, it is one of just 577 B9s ever built.

Read More: Alpina Scratches BMW’s Itch Between The M850i And M8 With $139,900 B8 Gran Coupe

The exterior is finished in a stately dark blue paint, which is adorned with gold Alpina decals running down the length of the car. Visual upgrades over the standard 5-Series include front and rear spoilers as well as 16-inch Alpina wheels. Out back, the trunk prominently features B9 3.5 badging, and the overall condition of the exterior seems nearly perfect.

See Also: Should You Skip The New M3 And Go For The Alpina B3 Touring Instead?

Moving on to the interior, one of its standout features are the sport seats, which are upholstered in the original brown Alpina velour with blue and green stripes. It also comes with an Alpina gauge cluster, a leather-bound Momo steering wheel, a wooden Alpina gear knob, and a numbered plaque on the center console to remind you of this car’s rarity. There are also heat-insulated glass, power mirrors and windows, as well as a power sunroof.

Under the hood lies a 3.5-liter inline-six. This engine was an Alpina-tuned version of BMW‘s M30 that featured a new cylinder head, camshaft, pistons, and a modified Bosch Motronic ECU. That allowed it to produce a healthy 241 hp (245 PS / 180 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque, which was impressive by 1980s standards, and still respectable even today.

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Porsche Restores Walter Röhrl’s Black And Gold 924 Carrera GTS Rally Car

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Porsche has restored the 924 Carrera GTS rally car that Walter Röhrl raced during the 1981 German Rally Championship.

Röhrl’s car is based on the 924 Carrera GTS homologation special, 50 of which were built for Group 4 racing. In addition, Porsche made nine prototypes, of which Röhrl’s car was the fifth. It had a handful of unique features, including skid plates beneath the oil pan and gearbox, a fiberglass coating across the axle links and rear transaxle, and the fuel distributor from a 928.

Read Also: Seven Generations Of 911 Turbo With Rally Legend Walter Rohrl

In restoring the car to its former glory, the automaker’s racing department in Weissach returned it to its original black and gold livery reflective of its Monnet cognac sponsorship, as it had been repainted blue after Röhrl raced the car. In addition, Porsche’s experts replaced the fuel supply system while rebuilding the original brake calipers, intercooler housing, and KKK 26 turbochargers. The car also features an original racing clutch and sits on a set of 255/55 R15 Pirelli tires with the original tread pattern.

It also retained the heavily revised Volkswagen EA831 engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder mill that was used for the entirety of the 1981 rally season, as well as the original racing harnesses.

Porsche presented the restored car to Röhrl as a surprise for his 74th birthday. During the 1981 season, he secured four race wins in the car and came second in the championship, so seeing the car returned to its original form was clearly quite special for him.

“It was a huge surprise for me,” Röhrl said in a statement. “I stepped out of the car 40 years ago and haven’t sat in it again since. For me, it’s a journey back in time. I immediately feel 40 years younger.”

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As Cadillac Goes Electric, We Take A Look Back At The ELR

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Cadillac introduced the 2023 Lyriq earlier today and announced plans to phase out internal combustion engines by 2030.

While the Lyriq looks promising, it’s not Cadillac’s first electric vehicle. With that in mind, lets take a look back at the range-extended ELR.

Essentially a production version of the 2009 Converj concept, the ELR was an ill-fated halo vehicle that was decried as an overpriced Chevrolet Volt with sleeker styling. While there’s no denying the connection to the Volt, the ELR was far sexier as it was a coupe that featured Cadillac’s Art & Science design philosophy.

Also Read: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq Electric SUV Unveiled In Production Form, Arrives Next Year For Under $60k

Starting up front, there was an aerodynamic fascia with an angular grille that was flanked by vertical LED headlights. The model also had a rakish windscreen, hidden door handles and an integrated rear spoiler. They helped to give the car a drag coefficient of 0.305, but that isn’t too impressive these days.

Besides the sleek styling, the ELR was equipped with 20-inch wheels wrapped in specially developed low-rolling-resistance tires. The model also featured unique side mirrors with indicators that would “pulse green” when the vehicle was charging.

The 2+2 interior was one of Cadillac’s better efforts as it featured cut-and-sewn leather, sueded microfiber, wood trim and chrome accents. Drivers would also find an 8-inch digital instrument cluster, a 10-speaker Bose audio system, and an 8-inch infotainment system with GPS navigation. The latter featured natural voice recognition technology and a motorized faceplate which would lift to reveal a hidden storage compartment.

When the ELR was introduced, Cadillac boasted that the infotainment system used Linux and a three-core processor. While the latter isn’t impressive in an age of octa-core smartphones, the company said it offered “3.5 times more processing power than current infotainment systems.”

Sticking with the tech theme, the ELR had an assortment of driver assistance systems including adaptive cruise control, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, and side blind zone alert with rear cross-traffic alert. The model also came with a driver-activated pedestrian warning system, which was designed for use at intersections.

Despite the sleek styling, the ELR was no sports car as it had 217 hp (162 kW / 220 PS) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque. Acceleration was lackluster as the dash from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) took 7.8 seconds in range extending mode and 8.8 seconds in EV mode. If drivers kept the accelerator floored long enough, the model would eventually top out at 106 mph (171 km/h).

On the bright side, the 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack allowed the ELR to travel an EPA-estimated 37 miles (60 km) on electricity alone. That’s longer than the average daily commute and a 1.4-liter four-cylinder range-extending engine increased the overall range to 340 miles (547 km).

Speaking of the powertrain, the ELR had four driving modes known as Sport, Tour, Mountain and Hold. While the first two are self-explanatory, Mountain mode was designed for use in mountainous environments where “vehicle performance could otherwise be compromised.” Hold mode, on the other hand, would direct the ELR to use its range-extending engine to reserve the battery for later use.

While the ELR was interesting, it stickered for $75,995 and even a $7,500 federal tax credit couldn’t get people interested. Only 1,310 units were sold in the United States in 2014 and Cadillac skipped the 2015 model year entirely.

When the ELR ‘returned’ in 2016, it featured a retuned suspension and a lower base price of $65,995. The model also had a upgraded powertrain that developed 233 hp (174 kW / 237 PS) and 373 lb-ft (506 Nm) of torque. This slashed the 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) time by 1.5 seconds, but sales never improved and Cadillac pulled the plug shortly thereafter.

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Ultra-Low Mileage Jaguar XJ220 Is One Underappreciated Gem

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The Jaguar XJ220 managed to set a top speed record as well as a fastest production car lap at the Nurburgring, yet the fact that the British company chose a turbocharged V6 engine, instead of the V12 of the 1988 concept, along with the recession of the early 1990s, meant that it was a commercial flop.

Jaguar built just 281 examples of the XJ220 from 1992 to 1994 and this unit, which is for sale at Canepa, is number 237. It was delivered new to a customer in Switzerland and later traded hands to another Swiss-based businessman in 1999. Not long after buying the iconic British supercar, its owner reached out to Jaguar to see if it would be possible to get it to the United States.

Watch Also: A 200 MPH Attempt In A 30-Year-Old Jaguar XJ220 Sure Takes Some Guts

Eventually, the car was exported to the U.S. by Sun International Racing in Manhattan Beach, California that had previous experience importing cars such as the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Renault R5 Turbo, and the Series 1 Lotus Elise. The car ultimately touched down in Los Angeles on June 28th, 2001 under the ‘show and display’ exemption.

The listing states that the car remained in a private collection for the next 14 years until it was sold by Canepa in 2015. In the six years since, it has been driven just 242 km (150 miles) and is now being sold by Canepa yet again.

While under the possession of Canepa, the XJ220 underwent a comprehensive detailing regime and is said to be in excellent mechanical shape. As it stands, the Burgundy-colored XJ220 has 1,817 km (1,129 miles) on the clock.

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Aston Martin Factory Driver To Attempt 200 MPH Run With 40-Year-Old Bulldog

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It isn’t uncommon to see models with a 200 mph top speed nowadays, but 40 years ago, things were very different.

Despite the speed being far from impossible today, it still is a serious figure. And it’s one that holds a particular spot in the hearts of Aston Martin fans because of the time it came up short.

In 1980, the Aston Martin Bulldog was approaching 200 mph when a change of leadership saw the project die. But now Aston is restoring the Bulldog with a view to running it to its top speed.

The Bulldog was a one-off concept designed by William Towns, and although it didn’t reach 200 mph, it did hit 191 mph before being binned by then chairman Victor Gauntlett.

Read Also: SSC Tries To Re-Run Top Speed Record Attempt, Issues Limit It To 251 MPH

Now, though, his son Richard Gauntlett is overseeing the restoration. The actual work is being done by Classic Motor Cars in Bridgenorth, Shropshire.

“The car is well on the way to being restored and CMC will have it running by the end of the year. We will then attempt the record that never was,” said Gauntlett. “A critical part of this was finding the right driver for the job and someone that could get involved in overseeing the final elements of the project, in terms of set up and testing.”

That driver will be Darren Turner, who has raced with the brand’s factory team at Le Mans for the last 15 years.

“I had heard of the legend of Bulldog from within Aston Martin and when news started to filter out about the car being restored to go for the 200 mph target, I thought that was such a cool thing to do,” said Turner. “I was following the story and thinking that it would be great to be involved in. When I was asked to drive it I didn’t need to be asked twice!”

Although the exact date of the attempt has not been revealed, the car’s owner plans to take the Bulldog on a world tour after it reaches the 200 mph mark.

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Can We Interest You In An 55k Mile 1983 Audi Ur-Quattro?

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In the world of rallying, few cars are as iconic as the Audi Quattro, commonly known as the ‘Ur-Quattro.’

Audi introduced the Quattro back in 1980 and quickly started competing with the car in various rally championships. As the regulations changed, the car morphed into the Sport Quattro from Group B that you may be most familiar with. A touch over 11,000 units of the ‘regular’, road-going Audi Ur-Quattro were produced and RM Sotheby’s will auction one off at its Arizona event on January 22.

Read Also: Audi RS6 GTO Concept Makes Station Wagons Super Cool Again

Audi only sold the Ur-Quattro in North America between 1983 and 1986 and over this period, just 763 examples were delivered through its official channels. This particular model was ordered by its first owner from Trainer Motors in Connecticut and delivered on 22 November 1982. It was acquired by the consignor in 2015.

The listing reveals that the car remained with its original owner until 30 October 1992 when it was acquired by someone in New Jersey with 53,000 miles on the clock. This owner was an Audi mechanic and upgraded the car to European specification, fitting Ronal alloy wheels, larger brakes, Koni shocks, stiffer springs, a performance camshaft, upgraded instruments, European headlights, and European bumpers.

Finished in a shade of Mars Red, the car has only been driven 2,000 miles (3,200 km) over the past 28 years and is being sold with its original owner’s manual, maintenance booklet, jack, spare tire, tools, and maintenance invoices.

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