Retro

Retro cars road test

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1931 Bentley 4½ Litre ‘Blower’

Reader Clive Button tries out his dream ‘Blower’ Bentley for real. He owned the Matchbox model as a child; now reader Clive Button gets to realise his Bentley Blower dream in 1:1 scale ‘I defy anyone not to be amazed by the acceleration’.

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1984 Citroën BX16 TRS

Once ubiquitous, now near-extinct, the BX is a hugely significant car that deserves to be remembered – and saved

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1959 Borgward Isabella Coupe

There are not many motoring stories that start on a boat but this one does. In fact, this automotive tale began in 2012 on a yacht. Les was sailing with his friend off the coast of Queensland enjoying the salt air and wind swept spray on his skin when he noticed a sheet of newspaper in the water. Reaching out he retrieved the rubbish and in doing so the classifieds section caught his eye.

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1959 Porsche 356A

The workshop is crammed and dark, I carefully pick my way through the clutter, car parts

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1975 Porsche 914/4 1.8 injection US-Spec

Notwithstanding the fact it’s an excellent car in its own right, the 914 remains an affordable entry point to air-cooled Porsche ownership, but be mindful of wearing rose-tinted spectacles if you’re planning to find out what’s available across The Pond…

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1976 Porsche 912 E

Mike Brewer’s restored 912 E wheeler dealers star’s passion for Porsche rare retro ride — the car’s the star. Mike Brewer is known to millions as the star of TV’s Wheeler Dealers, but away from filming, he likes nothing more than hitting the road in his restored 1976 Porsche 912 E. What’s more, he thinks you should be considering an example of the four-cylinder 911 lookalike when buying your first Porsche

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Low-mileage 1974 Jaguar XJ6 4.2 Series 2 SWB

There’s more to preserving a low-mileage classic than mothballing it for several decades, as we discover when we drive this 1974 XJ6 Series 2 with less than 29k on the clock

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1967 Iso Grifo GL 300 Coupe Series 1

Grief to Grifo — ISO Grifo impossible restoration. When a bidder paid almost £130,000 for the world’s rustiest Iso Grifo at auction, experts thought he must be mad. We catch up with the reclusive buyer following a seemingly impossible restoration

2004
1969 Volvo 1800S

We sample the Swedish-built version of Volvo’s svelte Amazon-based coupe

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1959-1961 Triumph Italia 2000

The prolific Italian stylist Giovanni Michelotti was a mainstay of Triumph design for well over a decade. These special TR3As signal his starting point.

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1929 Lancia Lambda Tipo 223

It was one of the most technologically advanced cars of its era, and this one has an extraordinary back-story to tell: John Simister fulfils a long-held ambition and drives a Lancia Lambda.

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1969 MG Midget Mk3 - a family heirloom in the making

Having promised to care for his mother’s beloved MG, Darren Woods found a restoration case on his hands

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1936 MG VA

The last known surviving pre-production MG VA is itself a rarity amongst the rare but Ian Burton is determined to experience and share its history

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1937 Alvis Speed 25 Lancefield

For art’s sake? In contrast to the cheerful, functional Alvis models of the Twenties, coachbuilders conjured striking grand routiers on Thirties Alvis chassis. None is sleeker than this unique Speed 25.

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1971 Fiat Dino 2400 Coupé

Reader Peter Warren once owned a Fiat 130 Coupé, but fancied trying a Dino – so Classic Cars made it happen

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