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‘It started with model railways!’

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Buyers Brief: Lotus Esprit (S1-S3)

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Vauxhall Viva HC

**THE BIG RESTORATION**  
Nostalgia drove **Paul Nicholes** on to recreate the family favourite of his childhood  
W**ORDS** MATT GEORGE **PHOTOGRAPHY** JONATHAN JACOB

  
**THE RESTORER**  
Paul Nicholes is 61 years-old and, before his retirement last Christmas, he worked for the NHS in Barnsley as a Medical Engineering Technician for 41 years. This involved repairing and maintaining all the medical equipment throughout the hospital. Monitors, ventilators, anaesthetic machines, defibrillators and incubators.  
Says Paul: ‘I am no mechanic, but I do have an eye for detail and making sure things are right. I have no formal training on cars, just what I've picked up over the years, and can remember from back in the day when you had to know how to repair your car.’  
Paul Nicholes is no stranger to the pages of Practical Classics, having appeared with the Bond Equipe MkII GT that he restored with his son in 2007. ‘That was an educational project for us both, and we learned a huge amount. When my son moved house, back in 2019, he took the Bond with him, and I was left with an empty garage for the first time in many years.’ So, obviously Paul’s thoughts turned to how to fill that space.  
As is often the case, happy childhood memories played a part in the selection of Paul’s next project car. ‘Back in the long hot summer of 1976, when I was 12, my mum and dad bought an Onyx Green Cortina MkIII 2.0 GXL and a Bessacarr Conisbrough caravan. We had many great holidays, plus weekend trips to the coast and caravan club rallies over the following years. A time when I discovered music, girls and when my interest in cars began.

**AS FOUND** Paul didn’t think it looked too bad, but little did he know…

  
I loved the shape and 'Coke bottle' styling of my dad’s car back in the day – it was the first car that I remember falling in love with.’  
So, decision made, Paul thought there would be plenty of Cortinas to choose from. Err, no. ‘I looked for ages and there were none for sale anywhere, in any condition, and certainly not in the colour combination and spec I wanted. I also realised that old Fords were expensive!’ Anything in decent nick was way out of Paul’s price range. So, he started to look for a project that he could restore and/or turn into a replica, while spreading the cost over time. After looking at a few really bad examples, Paul came across this one being advertised by a member of the MkIII Owner’s Club. ‘It was a project he’d already started, so was partially dismantled and some areas had been patched already. To my untrained eye it looked great, surprisingly solid in many of the usually bad areas, and it was a pretty good price. It was even the right colour… mostly.’ A deal was done, while some extra parts were included that would help Paul bring the car up to GXL spec just as his dad’s old one was.

That tow bar will see some use… once Paul has restored his caravan to suit!

  
‘Many parts had already been removed and thrown in the boot, mostly unlabelled’, explains Paul: ‘I didn't know what I had, what was missing or what was broken, but I’d taken the gamble as I wanted it so much. It had looked fairly solid, but I'm obviously no expert, because when I started to work on it, I quickly found out it clearly wasn't!’ Undeterred, Paul worked on the car most weekends and many evenings, often until very late, for nearly five years. He did all the work himself, alone in his single garage at home, apart from the stuff that he doesn't have equipment for – cylinder head skimming, crankshaft balancing and chroming.  
Paul stripped the whole car, built a roll-over jig and turned it on its side to repair all the rot underneath, taking it back to bare metal by hand and learning more and more as he went along. ‘I learned many new skills as part of the project including welding, body prep, painting and upholstery – mainly thanks to the university of YouTube. I borrowed an old welder from my mate James at work and played about with it until I got the settings and technique right. I had never used a MIG welder before but picked it up surprisingly quickly, I think.’ Paul replaced both the front and rear valances, repaired both front wings, bulkhead and A-pillars, and fabricated smaller sections for almost everywhere else.

Rebuilt engine was detailed to match the body.

Extra mirrors will come in handy when towing, too.

  
‘I had to just buy whatever was available and refurbish it’  
One of the hardest tasks was replacing the nearside rear quarter/wing, where Paul had to cut the old quarter off because it was riddled with rust in an odd ring pattern all the way across it. ‘Fitting the replacement was really difficult’, he explains. ‘Parts of it needed to go under the existing bodywork, while others went on top. Having finally got it in place and having recreated the missing inner wing sections, I hung the rear door. However, it was clear that it didn’t line up at all!’ So, the only thing for it was to undo all the tack welds and try to align it all somehow. In the end, Paul worked out that the sill had been replaced in the past, but in the wrong place. ‘I had to remove that too and refit it straight before the door gaps and swage lines all lined up at the same time! Once I was happy with the alignment, I secured it all in place and lead loaded the joints on the C-pillar, which was fun having never done that before either.’

All-important GXL badge takes pride of place up front.

  
One of the most satisfying jobs for Paul was inadvertently forced upon him. ‘I bought a new front valance off eBay. It was advertised as for a Cortina MkIII, but it turned out to be for a Taunus, which is a surprisingly different shape.’ As he’d had it for more than a year before trying to fit it, Paul couldn’t return it, so had to make it fit somehow. ‘In the end I had to graft the ends of the old front valance onto the new one because it was such a complex shape. It took some doing, but you can’t tell it was ever wrong.’  
Away from the body repairs, every single part has been completely dismantled, cleaned, repaired, renovated, refurbished, repainted or – as a last resort – replaced. ‘Many parts are really hard to find, especially in good condition, while others, surprisingly, I found were on the shelf in my local motor parts shop!’ If good parts did come up for sale, they were usually eye-wateringly expensive.

Rostyle wheel was incredibly popular in the Sixties and Seventies.

  
‘In many cases, if I knew I needed to replace a part, I had to just buy whatever was available and refurbish or repair that part and make the best of it. For example, the underriders are £350 a pair. I bought a rusty full set for fifty quid, welded up the holes and had them chromed.  
They look as good as new now.’  
The suspension has all been stripped, painted or powder-coated and polybushed, while Paul had a new single-piece propshaft made. The rebuilt engine has been fully balanced, ported and fitted with hardened valve seats. ‘I have fitted a fast road camshaft, but it is otherwise a standard 2-litre Pinto. I’ll also be swapping the exhaust to a 4-2-1 stainless system as soon as I can afford to.’ Paul also changed the differential for one with the correct ratio for 2-litre, having discovered that at some point in the past it had been changed to a 1600 one: ‘No wonder I was always wanting the change up in fourth gear!’

‘Coke bottle’ styling still looks sharp today.

  
With the bodywork, suspension and running gear sorted, it was time for a fresh coat of paint. However, this part of the project was far from smooth sailing, as Paul explains with a rueful grin. ‘I had it sprayed twice. The first time it came back, the finish was beyond terrible; I was so disappointed. There was anti-stone chip paint all over my nice clean suspension and half an inch up the bottoms of the doors, and no paint at all in places like the door shuts, the boot and the engine bay.’ Fortunately, this setback gave Paul the opportunity to address some areas that clearly weren’t perfectly flat, as well as changing the colour. ‘It is now a custom mixed shade that I've created, to try and match the vibrant ‘Onyx Green’ that I remember my dad's car being. It’s still far from perfect, but it’s probably far better than I could have achieved.’  
Once he’d got the car back, Paul fitted a NOS black vinyl roof, chrome trims, cloth interior, centre console, badges and quad LED headlights, again to match the GXL spec of his dad’s car. He also fitted a new pale green headlining and carpet with sound deadening beneath, plus a tinted laminated windscreen.

Paul can be proud of the result that he’s achieved.

Fresh carpets really set things off inside.

  
‘I’m carrying on using my newfound restoration skills’  
For Paul, the whole ethos of the build was to do the best possible job, while spending the least possible amount of money. That said, if money needed to be spent, he did so: ‘I was only going to do it once, so I was doing it right!’ Paul paid £2500 for the car, which included some replacement parts, and while he did initially keep track of the cost, he quickly stopped counting! ‘Parts are unbelievably expensive! Even simple things that you used to pick up from the scrap yard for pennies, like switches, now cost £60 or more, if you can find them! I'm guessing I've spent well over £10k on the restoration, however I'm told that the car is now worth about £25k, so that’s OK’, he says with a smile.  
Paul isn’t quite finished yet, however. He fitted a tow bar to the Cortina as, during the restoration, he’d shared a photo of his parents’ Cortina and their caravan on a Bessacarr-related Facebook group, and someone generously offered him an almost identical one free of charge! ‘So, my next project will be to renovate that to match theirs so I can take it to shows and places we used to go to on holiday around the country, too. I’ve also recently been given a 1968 Jensen Interceptor MkI. However, as you can imagine for a free car, it needs a lot of work! They should keep me busy long into my recent retirement and test my newfound restoration skills to the limit!’  
  
**Here’s how Paul did it…**

  
**1\. OCT 2021** **Front and centre**  
One of Paul’s first big jobs was replacing the rotten front valance. As is often the case, once it was removed, a lot more hidden rust was found!

  
**2\. MAR 2023** **Made to measure**  
Having bought a replacement valance panel online, it turned out to be incorrect. Unable to return it, Paul was forced to work with what he had, doing such a good job that you’d never tell the difference now.

  
**3\. OCT 2023 Take two**  
Having been hugely disappointed with the finish of the original respray, Paul sorted out all the areas that the paint shop missed first time around (see fresh primer), before the car went away for a second time.

  
**4\. MAR 2024** **Good as new**  
This project was the first time that Paul had ever dismantled or reassembled an engine. Hopefully he’d done everything right!

  
**5\. APR 2024** **Vinyl countdown**  
Paul suggests that the vinyl roof is not as straight as it should be, but again, he'd never tried doing anything like that before.  
  
**TECH SPEC**  
**ENGINE** 1993cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 98bhp@5700rpm  
**TORQUE** 111lb ft@5500rpm  
**GEARBOX** 4-speed manual  
**0-60MPH** 10.6.sec  
**TOP SPEED** 105mph  
**FUEL ECONOMY** 24mpg  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
AirbagTeam :a[airtbagteam.com]{href='https://airtbagteam.com' }  
East Kent Trim Supplies Ltd, :a[eastkenttrimsupplies.com]{href='http://eastkenttrimsupplies.com' }  
Prestige Electro-Plating, 01709 577004  
Rotherham Engine Supplies, :a[theenginespecialists.co.uk]{href='https://theenginespecialists.co.uk' } Sheffield Cortina Centre, 07766 634012  
  
**WHAT'S IT LIKE DRIVE**

Matt enjoyed the full Seventies experience.  
The rebuilt 2-litre lump fires easily into life, and I head out onto the road to see what this Cortina is all about. One of the first things I notice is that the pedals are spaced quite closely together – something I discover when hitting the ‘Go’ pedal rather than the ‘Stop’ pedal when approaching a junction! But other than that, Paul has turned out a car that drives very well, with the aforementioned Pinto up front offering plenty of oomph thanks to that fast road camshaft, while the effect of the balancing can be felt in the smoothness of how it runs. The ride is supple and, once I’ve ensured that I’m about to depress the correct pedal, the brakes pull things up sharply when required, straight and true. I wasn’t around in the Seventies, but this car is great to drive and would appear to be an abundantly accurate tribute to the Cortina that Paul’s dad owned and cherished back then – I’m glad to have been able to get a snapshot of that experience myself.  
  
**Restorer of the Year 2026**  
Restorer of the Year celebrates the shed heroes who, every year, produce extraordinary work breathing life back into basket cases and bringing classics that are going nowhere back to the road. Here at **Practical Classics**, we’ll scour the land to bring you the very best then, early in 2026, you get to nominate your favourite restos. From your top ten nominations our panel of experts will select the top five nominees so that you can meet the winner at the **Practical Classics** Classic Car and Restoration show at the NEC next March.

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TEAM ADVENTURE  
Danny and James head South West on a marvellous museum safari  
**WORDS** DANNY HOPKINS & JAMES WALSHE **PHOTOS** MATT HOWELL, DANNY HOPKINS & JAMES WALSHE

  
We are blessed with some fantastic motor museums in the UK, but the recent closure of the Moretonhampstead Motor Museum and a blaze at the Microcar Museum in Lincolnshire show very clearly how fragile they can be. Quite simply, we must use them or lose them. Full coffers create longevity and, well, we owe it to our grandkids to make sure these fantastic places are thriving.  
So, Danny and James headed off to a selection of museums in the South West of England. Choosing two of their favourite classics, the chaps took a couple of days out to explore and assess some truly unique classic car destinations. Perhaps this might inspire you to do your own museum safari – maybe even give impetus to fathers and sons (or daughters) to take a Father’s Day trip to a museum or two. There’s no better way to spend Father’s Day.

Beaulieu’s unique and unmissable collection.

Silbury Hill second tallest manmade mound in Europe.  
**Danny Hopkins Day 1: Beaulieu**   
I start early to avoid the nightmare that is the M25 and then hit the M3 before Saturday morning really gets going. Within just two hours I have breakfasted and am heading into the New Forest. My ‘other’ MX-5, the silver NB I rescued from a driveway seven years ago, is the steed of choice for the next three days and it is doing its usual job of being pretty much perfect for every road scenario. It deals with the motorways in reasonable comfort and now, having eaten a bacon roll on the edge of the National Park, the top is dropped and the spirit of Jinba Ittai, ‘horse and rider’ is fully engaged.  
This doesn’t mean I am driving fast; the new Forest is a 40mph zone because its animals roam free, including the wild horses. But even at a cautious 40 this horse and rider are united, in perfect balance, in the mid-morning sunshine. Feeling a oneness between myself and a car is not uncommon, but it is experienced most clearly in my MX-5. Every corner, at any speed, is responded to exactly as I intend – especially when gently steering around a horse.  
My arrival at my destination is a familiar one. There are many great museums in the UK but, for me, right at the top of the tree is the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu and today is rather special one – Spring Autojumble. One of the perks of my autojumble ticket is free entry to the exhibition halls. It means that, after some serious rusty foraging, I can escape the sun and immerse myself in history, nostalgia and a few surprises.

Beaulieu has the full range – from veterans to Honda Insight.  
**Danny Hopkins Day 2: Beaulieu to Calne**  
Leaving Beaulieu the following day, I head north early aiming for a rendezvous with Mr Walshe  
and his dad’s Citroën Dyane. Destination is the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum in Calne and I decide to change my angle of attack by whizzing up the A34 to Newbury and hitting one of my favourite bits of tarmac in the world, the A4.   
Between Newbury and Bath, this road is a magnificent example of what motoring used to be like. It was one of the main roads between London and the West of England before the coming of the M4 and is a broad two-way A-road, these days lightly trafficked. It traverses some fine downland scenery and is an MX-5 play pen. It’s a straight drive, but with long sweeping curves and a great road surface. What a fantastic road to explore, with fascinating stopping places like Hungerford, Marlborough and Silbury Hill. I arrive at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum with a huge grin on my face to meet James… who is there with his dad!

Rex meets us for a museum mooch in Bourton.

Atwell-Wilson’s Jaguar collection includes newly donated XJ8.

Atwell – filled to the rafters with good stuff.  
**James Walshe Day 2: Bourton-on-the-Water to Calne**   
While Danny potters his way from Beaulieu to Wiltshire, my first stop is Bourton-on-the-Water – familiar turf for me, as I use the Fosseway as my regular run between the office in Peterborough and family in the south Cotswolds. While it’s wise to avoid this area in the height of summer, late spring is a good time to be charmed by the Cotswold Motoring Museum. I especially enjoy the recreation of Bourton born Jack Lake’s country garage. The story of local hero Jack (1891-1981) is told in his own voice which, as a fellow Gloucestershire boy, was especially captivating.  
I hit the road in my dad’s 1980 Citroën Dyane, whose Mimosa Yellow snout has snuffled its way around every corner of the Cotswolds over the years, and wonder what Jack would think of it. For those unfamiliar with the 2CV-based Dyane, it’s less strange than you might imagine. That 602cc air-cooled flat-twin, although noisy, adores being thrashed and so it relishes you wringing out every ounce of speed. The Roman’s arrow-straight A429 allows you enjoy the car’s pillowy soft ride too and, with the canvas roof rolled all the way back, affords a fine view above – including the underside of Cotswold Airport’s own Boeing 747. I stop for a brew at the airport café and, after a mooch around the Bristol Britannia and the British Phantom Aviation Group’s project planes, the Cotswolds continue to unfurl before me… lush rolling hills peppered with stone villages and church spires, bright bunting flapping in the mild spring breeze.   
Beyond the pretty market town of Malmesbury, we cross into Wiltshire, chopping through Chippenham and Calne, and arrive at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum. My parents have driven the 25 minutes from their home (probably to check I haven’t broken the Dyane). It’s also dad’s birthday so the perfect chance to grab some tea and cake in the venue’s café, which is one of the many ‘beyond museum’ experiences Atwell-Wilson offers visitors.

F1 display at Atwell is something special.

  
**Danny Hopkins Calne to Sparkford**   
Atwell is superb and it’s great to see James enjoying the visit with his parents. Reminds me of every museum visit and day out I have enjoyed with mine. It is what ignites our enthusiasms, those unforgettable days when we see something to fall in love with. James and I bid his folks farewell and head south into the downs and on to the plains, heading for white horses and views.   
One white horse in particular stands out and that’s Westbury’s beauty. Situated just under Bratton Camp, records suggest that the horse was originally cut in the late 1600s, probably to commemorate the Battle of Ethandun, thought to have taken place at Bratton Camp in AD 878. We head up onto the down for a closer look and we are very glad we did. Above the white horse, standing proud over the rolling Wiltshire hillside, is a fabulous art installation featuring 10ft-high silhouette ‘giants’ modelled on soldiers from  
5 Rifles – which conducts military training on nearby Salisbury Plain.   
Made in steel, these silhouettes stand alongside figures representing members of the public. Designed by the Standing With Giants charity, the artwork is to raise awareness of the MOD’s Respect The Range campaign. Last year alone saw thousands of incidents in which the public illegally accessed Defence training land, causing hundreds of ‘near misses’.  
On the way back down from Bratton, I watch on with interest what resembles a clown car ahead, the Dyane’s rear end bobbing away merrily as we make our way to the next destination. It’s why we are heading to Sparkford via the excellent 2CV Shop in Warminster, where founder Darren Arthur kindly supplies James with a set of four replacement dampers. Then we head on into the setting sun and through the winding back roads of Wessex, bowling along happily as the sky turns to honey, in two cars that we love. James in his bouncy castle and me in my tatty Mazda. We couldn’t be happier. We are heading for a night’s rest before visiting another museum highlight, Haynes Motor Museum, where space has been allocated at the museum’s own dedicated workshop for James to fit his new dampers.

  
**Danny Hopkins Day 3: Haynes to RNAS Yeovilton**  
It’s a short hop from Sparkford to the museum, although worth noting that the Haynes Manual publishing house still lives on the industrial estate there and, this year, has started producing paper manuals again. For several years, since the publishing arm was sold to a separate company, Haynes Manuals became a digital only product, but now they are back in paper as well.  
Tops down, or rolled back in James’s case, we leave Haynes and vow to return for its new classic show in September. The afternoon sunshine warms the soul as we hit the A303 for the short journey to the Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton. As a pair of old aircraft nerds, James and I enter another heavenly hall.   
If the words Phantom, Buccaneer, Harrier and Vixen mean anything to you then you must visit this place. Add to that Concorde – where James points out the bits his dad designed – and it’s a day out in itself. Which leaves the evening drive to the delightful Hornsbury Mill Hotel for our overnight stop. On the way we acquire cake from the Railway Carriage Café and traverse some of the most beautiful scenery the country has to offer. Neither of us want the day to end.

The white (and brown) horses of Westbury.

  
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/22/2025/05/1e1d2ffb-e4d3-4034-8c4c-c065dfa46c25.jpg)Respect the range installation.

Haynes workshop – James fits new dampers.

  
**James Walshe Day 4: Chard to Taunton**  
Wafting through seemingly endless rolling hills of Somerset, you’ll find a love/hate relationship with the A303 – described as anything from a ‘highway to the sun’ to ‘an environmental disaster’. Whatever the case, we’re far to the west of the most controversial bit (the planned Stonehenge tunnel has been ditched) and we’re at its very end, where it joins – and becomes – that other ‘run to the sun’, the A30. I recall stories of holiday bottlenecks told by my parents and grandparents. Having left home at dawn in London, they’d spend an entire day stuck in traffic and would end up somewhere around here as night fell.   
Danny and I dart enthusiastically down narrow winding lanes skirting the beautiful Blackdown Hills, down Blagdon Hill and into the Taunton metropolis. I haven’t been into town here for years, but it looks a little swankier than I recall.  
The town centre appears to be quite lively and this is, in part, down to the establishment of a brand-new classic car related attraction. County Classics, like all the places we’ve visited on our trip, another brilliantly unique take on the motor museum. While I was sceptical of its busy central Taunton location, it turns out the key to the success of County Classics is just that. The museum has breathed new life into the area.

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Wessex wonders

**FANTASY FORECOURT**  
We choose between a bunch of turbotastic Eighties everyman classics

  
Car makers were still experimenting with turbocharging in the Eighties, with some adopting the previous decade’s application of a whopping great blower bolted to the engine, while others were attempting more advanced methods. Whatever the case, the lag was always hilarious and the noises joyous and intrusive. Real-world turbo cars of the era, like the Fiat Uno Turbo, gave first-time drivers their first taste of turbo titivation. While GTi versions of the Golf and 205 get all the adoration from stuffy old hacks, we’ll take a madcap Escort RS Turbo and Maestro Turbo, thanks. Proper traffic light racers and guaranteed to raise a smile from passers-by wherever you go. As for the turbocharged sports cars of the era, how about the Porsche 944 Turbo and Mitsubishi Starion? Does the precision-built Stuttgart star get a thwacking from the tech-heavy Japanese upstart? Which one would you choose? Here are the members of the PC team to tell you which way they swayed…  
  
1 - Porsche 944 Turbo  
**COST NEW** £39,893 **VALUE NOW** £7500-£30,000  
**ENGINE** 2479cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 217bhp@5800rpm  
**TORQUE** 243lb ft@3500rpm  
**GEARBOX** 5-spd man  
**WEIGHT** 1280kg  
**0-62mph** 5.9sec  
**TOP SPEED** 152mph  
**ECONOMY** 23mpg  
**2 - Ford Escort RS Turbo**  
**COST NEW** £11,550 **VALUE NOW** £5000-£35,000  
**ENGINE** 1597cc 4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 132bhp@5750rpm  
**TORQUE** 133lb ft@2750rpm  
**GEARBOX** 5-spd man  
**WEIGHT** 1080kg  
**TOP SPEED** 125mph  
**0-60mph** 8.3sec  
**ECONOMY** 25mpg  
**3 - Fiat Uno Turbo ie**  
**COST NEW** £10,698 **VALUE NOW** £3000-£15,000  
**ENGINE** 1372cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 118bhp@6000rpm  
**TORQUE** 119lbft@3500rp  
**GEARBOX** 5-spd man  
**WEIGHT** 925kg  
**TOP SPEED** 124mph  
**0-60mph** 7.9sec  
**ECONOMY** 28mpg  
**4 - MG Maestro Turbo**  
**COST NEW** £13,995 **VALUE NOW** £5000-£12,000  
**ENGINE** 1994cc 4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 150bhp@5100rpm  
**TORQUE** 169lb ft@3500rpm  
**GEARBOX** 5-spd man  
**WEIGHT** 1087kg  
**TOP SPEED** 129mph  
**0-60mph** 6.8sec  
**ECONOMY** 25mpg  
**5 - Mitsubishi Starion Turbo**  
**COST NEW** £16,450 **VALUE NOW** £2000-£15,000  
**ENGINE** 1997cc/4-cyl/OHC  
**POWER** 200bhp@6000rpm  
**TORQUE** 206lb ft@3500rpm  
**GEARBOX** 5-spd man  
**WEIGHT** 1230kg  
**0-60mph** 7.3sec  
**TOP SPEED** 140mph  
**ECONOMY** 25mpg

Blown it

In the July 2025 edition of Practical Classics magazine, we celebrate Father’s Day by getting our dads together to look at the cars they wish they could have bought! From a Rover P5B and MGB to Citroën SM and Rover Vitesse, we get the full story on each – and then hit the road to the west country where Danny and James visit a bunch of England’s most unique motoring museums.

Meanwhile, we bring you tales of father-son restorations and classic revivals – from a Bond Equipe and Mini Clubman to a Morris Minor Convertible. The Jaguar XJ6 goes up against the Range Rover P38 in a head-to-head test, while there’s a battle of the 1980s turbocharged classics – from MG Maestro Turbo to Mitsubishi Starion.

There are two essential guides this month – one about buying a Peugeot 405 and the other on how best to get your hands on a Lotus Esprit S1-S3. Plus, at the Practical Classics workshop, we’re getting dirty with an Alfa 147, Renault Clio, Austin Seven, Morris Minor, Hotchkiss Gregoire and a 2CV, while there’s advice on seized brakes, small electric motors and alternator upgrades. No other magazine does this much!

Pick up a copy of PC from your local newsagent or :a[**choose your subscription here**]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/practical-classics-magazine?utm_source=practicalclassics.co.uk&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=bau_practicalclassics&amp;utm_content=promo_subscribe_today' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} and never miss another issue of Practical Classics.

CarFest presented by bp pulse is the ultimate family festival celebrating cars, music, and fun, all in support of UK children's charities. Founded by Chris Evans, it brings together a vibrant mix of classic cars, supercars, celebrity drivers, and thrilling track shows. Alongside the automotive excitement, each night you can enjoy live music from top artists including Travis, Madness, Squeeze and more. Not only that, there’s family entertainment for all ages, delicious street food and chef demonstrations from the likes of Si King and Michael Caines , wellness experiences as well as celebrity guests such as Lee Mack, Rob Brydon and Edd China. With dedicated zones for kids, vintage lovers, and motoring fans alike, CarFest offers something for everyone. It’s a high-octane weekend of joy, packed with horsepower and heart. Join us for an unforgettable celebration of all things automotive and community spirit!

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**MARKETPLACE**  
More exotic than an Italian and faster than a German? James Walshe says the Esprit’s time has come!

  
**Why you want one**  
It’s the exotic British supercar so exclusive, that not even Roger Moore could get his hands on one when it was launched. After giving Lotus a great big boost by showcasing its new car to the world in 1977 Bond film _The Spy Who Loved Me_, the 007 actor was reportedly refused a discount – although we suspect it had more to do with the Esprit’s low asking price, which was a fraction of what Porsche and Ferrari were charging for their supercars at the time. Surely Rog could have put his hand in his pocket? Despite its bargain price, nowadays, the arrival of an Esprit on the show field is more likely to make an impact than any Italian supercar.  
The Lotus Esprit S1-S3 may jangle the nerves of an inexperienced buyer and, while early cars suffered from a rot-prone chassis, these days you’ll find the dogs have long since departed and what’s left will have been fixed and cherished by a dedicated band of owners. The 1976 S1 ‘G car’ (Giugiaro) with its 2-litre 130bhp Lotus engine and Citroën SM gearbox is a sought-after version, for sure. However, it came with its fair share of issues and was replaced after two years by the S2 – essentially an S1 with some of the problems rectified, (like the poor cooling system). 1980 saw the introduction of the rare ‘S2.2’, with its 2.2-litre engine (only 100 were produced) and a John Player Special version to mark the F1 championship win. The 210bhp ‘Essex’ Turbo arrived in late 1980, complete with stiffened chassis and body kit, to be followed by the S3 in 1981. With numerous refinements and all versions getting the stiffened chassis of the Turbo, the S3 is the most sought after for some. The run-out Turbo HC of 1986 is a popular choice, being stronger, faster and better built than its predecessors. The S3 was replaced by the so-called ‘S car’ (Peter Stevens styled) of 1987. Bangs for buck aplenty, but dare you take the plunge?  
**The inspection**  
Check the entire body for star cracks in the glassfibre from flying stones. In addition, study the nearside rear wing, which is sometimes damaged by objects in the boot being allowed to move around. The offside wing is protected by the battery, so damage is unlikely here. The nose suffers from stone chips; hopefully any damage will be confined to unsightly paint, but in some cases the plastic itself may have been harmed.  
The corners are most likely to have suffered poorly repaired accident damage where the glassfibre hasn’t been let in properly, although parking scrapes could lead to scars anywhere. Paint that has sunk will appear mottled where some of the pigment has remained on the surface. It’s possible to mend damaged glassfibre invisibly but requires skill – those we’ve featured in PC who’ve restored glassfibre cars have often talked of it being easier to work with than steel, once you’ve got the hang of it. If you’re not confident and scars are evident, get an estimate of what a specialist will charge to put it right. Treating several areas will be a labour intensive (and costly) process of grinding back the glassfibre and letting in fresh matting – a reportedly satisfying process!  
Chassis damage and rot are not easy to repair. Esprit S2.2s on had a galvanised chassis, so these later cars are even less likely to be suffering from tin worm. If you’re looking at a S1 or S2 the only way of making sure that the chassis isn’t rotten is to put the car on a ramp. An insulating layer of felt between the chassis and the bodyshell absorbs water and then corrodes the chassis. It’s not possible to check the top of the chassis because it is out of sight, but tapping the metal with a hammer should elicit a crisp clang. If you hear a dull thud, it’s likely that corrosion is causing the metalwork to dissolve.

This one is far better on the road than in the water.

  
Esprits use one of three versions of the Lotus all-alloy twin-cam engine. The first two-litre examples were designated type 907, followed by the 2.2 (type 912) and 2.2 turbo(type 910). All of them should easily cover 100,000 miles between re-builds if 6000-mile/six-month service intervals have been adhered to. Although the Lotus twincam has a reputation for unreliability any major failings are usually because of an engine not being looked after properly. The cam belt should be replaced every 24,000 miles (or every two years).  
If the engine misfires under acceleration check for oil in the spark plug recesses. The engine leaks oil from the gasket between the cam covers on to the exhaust manifold, where it gets burned off. If the carriers or covers have simply been tightened to cure such a leak damage will have resulted from stripped threads and distortion. It’s because of these leaks that the oil collects in the spark plug recesses.  
As mentioned, the five-speed gearbox is the same one that’s used in the Citroën SM, and parts are getting hard to find. Gearchanges should be smooth and slick, but the tortuous linkages can go out of adjustment as the bushes and cables wear over time. The gearbox is durable — it’ll usually last a lot longer than an engine. The only thing to be wary of is worn bearings, so check that the gearbox isn’t making a lot of whining noises. If it is, you’re looking at having to replace the bearings. Anything more significant, such as damaged cogs, is likely to land you a big bill. The spigot bearing will fail if it hasn’t been greased, wrecking the crankshaft in the process.  
There should be plenty of steering feel with no heaviness. If there is it’ll need a new rack – £200 plus specialist labour if you can’t do it yourself. Racks wear more quickly on S3s and later because the wider wheels and tyres put a greater strain on it. You won’t see much more than 48,000 miles out of a rack and a hard-driven cars could last half that. Poor self-centring is usually because the steering column universal joint has seized.  
The Esprit’s electrics are reliable despite the numerous earthing problems usually associated with plastic-bodied cars. That said the electric window motors can seize thanks to corrosion and the glovebox-mounted fuse box can lead to problems when the fuses get knocked about. Esprit headlamp relays are worth checking carefully because they will be one of the first things to give trouble. The TR7-sourced headlamp motor itself also tends to fail at some point, but getting it repaired at an electrical engineer isn’t expensive. Also check the dashboard and footwells for any signs of deterioration because of water ingress.  
  
BODY

  
Externally, the nose is the most likely area to be damaged by flying stones. Look out for signs of poor repairs where the glassfibre hasn’t been let in properly. Paint that has sunk will appear mottled.  
  
CABIN

  
Various trim materials were used including leather, cloth and Marquasite, which is like crushed velvet. Leather tends to crack with age. Water ingress can cause damage to the cabin, so check for moisture.  
  
ENGINE

  
Your prospective purchase will have one of a few versions of the Lotus all-alloy twin-cam engine – the first two-litres are designated type 907, followed by the type 912 2.2 and the type 910 2.2 turbo. Look out for blown cylinder head gaskets and fractured manifolds.  
  
**WHAT IT’S LIKE TO LIVE WITH**  
**James Walshe** tells the tale of two Esprits…

Fabian reckons the rewards make a resto worthwhile!

  
I’ve had the pleasure of driving two examples of Esprit that, while both were 007 replicas, they had nevertheless been restored to the highest standards. The film star looks distracted from the way in which they been so faithfully rebuilt to factory spec. This meant experiencing the exceptional road manners you’d come to expect from Lotus, with a pleasing thump of power from the Turbo, especially. That’s not to say Paul Coleman’s September 1976 registered Series 1, featured here, is a slouch. There’s plenty of punch from that modest 2-litre lump. He took his time to revive it though, having almost given up a few times. ‘I spent four years on the bodywork, learning as I went. For instance, before I could even think about prepping for paint, I left my glassfibre repairs for six months to make sure the filler didn’t sink. It’s certainly an art.’  
Fellow Esprit enthusiast Fabian Steele, who also successfully restored his own _The Spy Who Loved Me_ Esprit, went even further and built himself a replica of Bond’s Esprit Turbo from For Your Eyes Only. He began the mammoth task by removing the body from the chassis on his lawn. ‘My mate has a garden business, so I got four large fence posts off him and staked them around the car. I then designed a system of wooden beams, clamps and bolts, so that I could inch-by-inch lift the body on my own.’  
In both cases, they carried out their projects very carefully, seeking advice and adapting to the unique challenges that a Lotus restoration presents. Says Fabian, who has recently restored yet another Turbo: ‘I originally thought restoring an Esprit would be a simple case of following instructions in a handbook but there’s scant information. That’s where the clubs and forums come into it!’  
  
**WHAT TO PAY**  
**PROJECT** £15-25,000  
**AVERAGE** £25,000-£35,000  
**EXCELLENT** £35,000-65,000  
**TECH SPEC**  
**ENGINE** 1973CC/4-CYL/OHC  
**POWER** 160BHP@6200RPM  
**TORQUE** 140LB FT@4900RPM  
**GEARBOX** 5-SPEED MANUAL  
**TOP SPEED** 138MPH  
**0-60MPH** 8.4SEC  
**ECONOMY** 25MPG  
  
MARKET ANALYSIS  
Early cars are worth a fair chunk more than all other Esprits these days, with prices dipping slightly for standard S2 models. You’ll still pay £30-40,000 for an S2 in tidy condition with a good history. That said, JPS-liveried S2s will set you back a lot more – as we went to press, there was one up for grabs for £63,000 online.  
Traditionally, the S3 has represented the best value especially given the refinements, and indeed we found an average condition car for sale at £27,000, but as always in this market, exceptional examples of any type can exceed expectations when it comes to value.  
Projects? Well… be prepared for a lot of hard work and potential expense when paying less than £20k. Any 007 replica will attract a premium but if that’s what you want, check the restorer wasn’t distracted from the basics (prioritise a rot-free chassis over missile launchers).  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**Club Esprit**, :a[clubesprit.co.uk]{href='https://clubesprit.co.uk' }  
**Club Lotus**, :a[clublotus.co.uk]{href='https://clublotus.co.uk' }  
**Lotus Drivers’ Club**, :a[lotusdriversclub.org.uk]{href='https://lotusdriversclub.org.uk' }

**READER’S STORY**  
As soon as Jack St John Wallis turned 16, a restoration project was inevitable  
**INTERVIEW** CRAIG CHEETHAM **PICTURES** JAMES WALSHE

  
I’ve been into our transport heritage from a very early age, initially with steam trains and also with my home model railway layout. I’m 20 years-old now, but cars have always been a major part of my life, while my dad, Roger, always had something interesting to keep himself entertained – with numerous cars ranging from a Jaguar E-type to a BMW 7-Series. But I wasn’t like the other kids. While they were playing with train sets, I was taking the locomotives apart and putting them back together again because I wanted to know how the engines worked. I’ve always been fascinated by stuff lsike that.  
I knew from an early age that I wanted to have a classic as my first car, so when I was told about a Morris Minor convertible for sale locally via a friend, dad and I immediately went to have a look at it. The owner was sadly very ill and would never get to complete his project, which at that point was stored in a garage underneath a pile of sheets and mattresses.  
We had a good look at it and we could both see the potential there – it was a solid enough car but it needed some localised body repairs and a new roof, and the engine was also very smoky, but I hadn’t even started to learn to drive yet, so I had plenty of time in order to get it back on the road. It was offered to me for a very good price because the owner could see how enthusiastic I was, but on the promise that I’d restore it and get it back on the road. It looked like I’d found my first car! We took it home, having assured the owner that I’d return it to its former glory – and that’s what I spent the next two years doing.

**AS FOUND** Minor was an unfinished project, which Jack went to view with his dad. Despite being found under a pile of mattresses, they saw the potential. While Jack hadn’t yet hit driving age, at the age of 16 his restoration journey had truly begun… in style!

  
**First steps**  
As is the way with all project cars, when we started to strip the Morris, it became apparent that it needed a bit more work than expected. The outriggers and sills were rusted all round, so at the age of 16 I taught myself to weld, with dad watching over me to make sure I didn’t set fire to the garage.  
I carried out repairs to the underneath that were strong and solid, though now I have a fair bit more experience, I may get under there and do it again – the car is absolutely fine structurally, but I know that I can weld a lot more neatly now than I could back then!  
With the welding complete, I set to work on the body, taking it back to bare metal and repairing and preparing all the panels for paint, which I entrusted to a family friend. While the car was with the painter, I set about sourcing replacement seat covers and new roof fabric, and when it came back, I had a lot of fun building it back up. The refreshed interior really transformed it, from a tired-looking Minor to one that really looked the part.  
That left a mechanical overhaul before I could start using it, so I rebuilt the engine in our garage – it fired up straight away and ran well, just in time for me to start driving. I wanted to learn to drive in it, but unfortunately the Minor wasn’t acceptable for me to take my test in as it doesn’t have a lot of the modern features required by driving examiners, so I ended up passing my test in a Peugeot 107 – but the Minor was pressed into daily service shortly before my 18th birthday and it has been my daily driver ever since.  
The Minor’s not my only classic, though. While I was restoring it, I was offered a 1957 Series 1 Land Rover, so I bought that and worked on it at the same time. I also now have a pre-war Austin 10 and a Thirties Riley, so the Minor can soon come off the road for some minor fettling – I’m 20 now, and two years of being used all-year round mean there are a few minor cosmetic bits to sort out and I want to make it perfect.  
I have the facilities to do so, too, as my passion for old cars led me to set up my own business, Jack’s Garage, just outside Newquay, where dad and I work on all manner of classic cars. It started with my Minor and has snowballed from there.

  
Once the car had been completely stripped down, Jack set to work on the bodywork, taking it back to bare metal. Still aged just 16 at the time, Jack spent hour after hour teaching himself to weld, with his dad checking in on him every now and then.

  
With the once shabby bodywork seen to and sent off for a fresh coat of paint courtesy of a good friend, Jack tidied up the extremely tired interior, sourcing replacement seat covers, trim and convertible roof.

  
The Minor wasn’t deemed acceptable for a driving test, due to lack of safety features required by the driving examiner. But, while Jack passed his test in a Peugeot 107, the Minor has been his daily driver ever since.

  
Having bought and restored the Minor convertible at the tender age of just 16, Jack has since bought himself an Austin 10, Series II Land Rover and a Riley Continental Tourer, but he says the Minor serves as both daily transport and show car!  
  
**TIME TAKEN** 2 (YRS)  
**EST. COST** (£)1500  
**BEST HELP ‘**I spent a long time getting things wrong and trying again – but never giving up, knowing the reward would be worth it.’  
  
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BUYER'S BRIEF  
From fastest selling new Vauxhall of all time to rare classic, here’s how to buy the very best example you can…

Handsome Viva could be had in both two-and four-door saloon and as a three-door estate.

  
**Why you want one**  
This really is one extremely rare slice of Seventies British car culture. When the third generation Viva was launched at the outset of the decade, Vauxhall stuck its flag firmly in the soil and boasted of a £3m investment in what it named ‘Punishment Park’ – otherwise known as the now iconic 700-acre proving ground at Millbrook. The company’s launch brochure declared proudly that its new saloon had been given ‘all it could take – and more’ at the Bedfordshire site. Indeed, the Viva was a tough car, with its tried and tested engines and steel said to be ’28 percent thicker than major rivals.’ Just not tough enough to survive in large numbers, despite 640,863 examples rolling off the production lines at Luton and Ellesmere Port.  
Pickings are slim indeed. The 1970 range started with the handsome but basic two-door Viva with its OHV 1159cc engine (1256cc from 1971), drum brakes (discs optional) and black vinyl seats. The two-door de Luxe model got coachlines, ‘Vynide’ upholstery, door pull armrests and servo assisted brakes, while the altogether fancier SL came with extra trim and fluffinside, plus the option of a 1599cc OHC lump (upgraded to an 1759cc unit from 1972). You could have your De Luxe and SL in four door and estate body styles. From 1971, the Firenza coupé began stealing sales from the Capri and Marina Coupé – thanks in part to its 2-litre twin-carb engine from the HB Viva GT.  
Vauxhall split the range in 1973, with the 1300 models keeping the Viva badge, and the 1759cc engine and a 2.3-litre becoming the luxurious Magnum, with seven dials replacing the Viva’s strip speedo (the 2.3-litre version of the Viva SL got those dials too). All models were fitted with front discs, while the Firenza got its fabled ‘droop snoot’ nose. Over time, the range continued to evolve, with the base spec car later known simply as ‘E’ in the mid-Seventies (the only model to retain the strip speedo), while the ‘L’ (with its twin dial instrumentation) took up the mid-spec area of the line-up and the Viva GLS (replacing the SL) topped it off with the seven-dial dash, quad headlamps and comfy, reclining velour seats. Losing sales to the likes of VW’s Golf, the Viva left showrooms in late 1979, ahead of the Astra’s launch in March 1980.  
  
MARKET ANALYSIS  
Unless you find one that’s complete, beware of barn finds and basket cases. Regardless of how good you are at fabricating metal, you’ll need to work extremely hard to find all the missing bits on a Viva or Magnum. It’s inevitable that prices are edging upwards. The HC remains good value though, and while there’s little price difference between two/four doors and estates, you are likely to pay a little more for one with the bigger engines – including the rare Firenza, which is sought after. That said, a 1971 four-door Viva went for £6k at Barons in September 2024 – a grand more than a Magnum estate went for a month earlier at Anglia Car Auctions – while a late 1300 GLS sold for £8200 at ACA last summer. We noted a few unsold examples at auction, while a deliciously basic Viva E went for just £2k at Mathewsons.

Simple and easy to maintain, but ask about cambelt changes on the OHC engines. Later engines can also suffer from cam cover oil leaks.

Check inner front wings around the suspension turrets and bonnet hinges, outer front wings, rear wheelarches as they corrode near the sills, and the B-pillars.

Simple cabin is comfy but trim impossible to source, so make sure the car you’re looking at is complete as possible inside.

  
**The inspection**  
That it’s easier to find spares for high performance exotic supercars these days is no exaggeration. Anything from headlights to dash switches are hard to find. The owner’s club is likely to be the best source of advice, so we’d encourage you to join up. Replacement panels for the Viva are getting scarce, (wings can be worth £500 plus) so check your prospective purchase very carefully. You may be relying on new/old stock or used items. Inner front wings rot around the suspension turrets and bonnet hinges. The outer front wings tend to rot around the bottom where mud collects. Inspect rear wheelarches as they corrode near the sills, as do B-pillars. Pay particular attention to the screen surrounds and A-pillars as bubbling here could turn into a major headache. Check every panel very carefully for signs of corrosion. You’ll also want to get underneath, as the floorpan is prone to rust. See also the boot floor and suspension mounting points. The top mountings for the rear shock absorbers can be especially problematic, so don’t rely on a cursory glance as repairs in this area are tricky.  
All engines are DIY-friendly, with good parts availability. Listen for excessive tappet noise on OHV engines – valve-gear breakage can occur if it’s left unchecked – and you should also inquire when an OHC unit last had its cambelt changed. A snapped belt won’t lead to engine damage, but it’s a good indicator of general maintenance. These latter engines can also suffer from niggling oil leaks, with the cam cover gasket being a particular issue. Broken oil pumps aren’t unheard of either. Cooling systems could have degraded, so check the condition of the coolant and hoses, while lumpy running is likely to be a carburettor or distributor that’s ready for an overhaul. Otherwise, a record of diligent maintenance – oil changes every 3000 miles are recommended – should be all that’s needed to keep an HC’s engine running sweetly.

  
The manual gearbox was a four-speeder – if it’s going to wear, it’ll be the second gear synchromesh that goes first. Any whines or crunches need further investigation, but it’s trouble-free otherwise. The GM three-speed autobox just needs checking for jerky shifts or signs of burnt or treacly fluid. A slight whine from the differential is unlikely to signal imminent failure, but look for any evidence of oil leaks.  
The sheer simplicity of the HC’s running gear means that checking the steering, brakes and suspension is straightforward. And, unless the example you’re looking at has been completely neglected, general wear and tear is likely to be the extent of any problems. Check the condition of the front wishbone bushes as these can wear prematurely, although replacements are cheap; the same goes for the bushes that locate the rear axle. Tired springs and dampers should be easy to spot on a test drive, but you shouldn’t have much trouble tracking down a new set.  
You can buy Escort interior parts on every street corner, but good luck sourcing decent Viva interior trim. It can involve a lot of searching, so make use of your newfound friendships in the club. The vinyl trim is quite hard-wearing, and any damage can be dealt with easily by a professional trimmer or a capable DIYer. The later cloth is altogether harder to find. More problematic is cracking of the dashboard moulding. Better news is the fact your Viva won’t be too difficult to work on, whether you’re refurbishing the engine or stripping and repairing an interior. Ownership of any classic Vauxhall is going to be more of a challenge than it is for the owner of a Ford or BL car, but the reward is exclusivity. What was once street furniture is now more exotic than any 200mph hypercar. Join the club, find your Viva and let the nostalgia begin!  
  
**WHAT TO PAY**  
**PROJECT** £750  
**GOOD** £3000-£5000  
**EXCELLENT** £5000-£9000  
  
**WHAT IT’S LIKE TO OWN**  
**James Walshe** looks at what Viva HC life has in store for you…

  
Every street in every town – Vivas were a common sight in the Eighties… gradually vanishing in the decade that followed. As our road-testing supremo John Simister pointed out when he drove a Viva HC in a Practical Classics group test, it was very much part of Britain’s new breed of family cars for the Seventies, with a look and style all its own. John says the HC was a cut above the Cortina and Avenger in many ways. ‘The Viva’s shift is precise and on test, proved to have the speediest steering response of the three cars driven that day. It turned instantly, generating little body roll, although the downside of that tautness in the bends is a choppy ride.’ Maz Hopley is chairman of the Viva Owners Club and has cherished numerous examples since the age of 18. ‘I’ve never known anything but Vivas! As a Sixties kid, my parents had a Viva HB when I was born and in 1978 traded in for an HC, at a cost of £1999. I own that car today and it’s very much part of me.’ Maz’s Viva is currently undergoing a full restoration – an effort he says is generally quite challenging these days. ‘There has to be a ‘make do and mend’ approach to looking after the Viva. If you can find HC wings, you’re often looking at more than £500 per side! Joining the club is definitely beneficial, as we do everything we can to help fellow members.'  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**Vauxhall Viva Owners Club,** :a[vauxhallviva.com]{href='https://vauxhallviva.com' }  
**Vauxhall Green Parts,** :a[vauxhallgreenparts.co.uk]{href='https://vauxhallgreenparts.co.uk' }

Join us for our celebration of the cars of MG Rover, as we mark the firm’s passing 20 years ago. Memories of Longbridge are still strong in the classic car community, even if the area itself has changed. We pay the factory site a visit in some of MG Rover’s superstar cars.

We also meet some of the enthusiasts who own and cherish the cars of MG Rover and find out why – from Rover 25 to MG SV – these cars matter today. There are two in-depth guides this month to the Vauxhall Viva HC and Alfa 147, and we get under the skin of an extraordinary Renault 16 restoration – 60 years after the iconic hatchback was launched. There’s also a Golf Cabrio restoration story and members of the team pretend they’re rich and try to work out which Ferrari they would pick (and attempt to maintain).

Back down to earth, two of the chaps each buy an aged Renault Clio and a BMW 523i, plus loads of action from our workshop, with Danny working on his Fiat 124 Spider, James attempting to fix his 2CV and Smart Roadster, and Matt Tomkins his Austin Seven. There are tips on Hydragas and injection fuel systems and cleaning cabriolet roofs… and so much more!

WISE BUYER  
The still affordable way into Alfa ownership. Here’s how to go about it

  
**Why you want one**  
The svelte looking 156 saloon changed the fortunes of Alfa Romeo in the UK. The slick good looks were backed up by exceptional dynamics and fuelled by its newfound mojo and a terrific new platform on which to base other models, the firm introduced its new range of small hatchbacks in 2000 and was declared European Car of the Year. Also sharing the 156’s range of punchy Twin Spark engines, the 147 is a brilliant machine – and still very affordable. There’s terrific backing from great owners clubs and specialists, too.  
On your search, you’ll happen upon three and five-door cars with a range of trim – Turismo was standard and Lusso was proper posh. The most popular engine is the 2-litre Twin Spark, although the 105bhp 1.6 TS is eager enough. That engine was also available with 120bhp in the Lusso, courtesy of variable cam timing. The 1.9 JTD was available as either 8v 115bhp, 16v 150bhp (from 2005) or 170bhp (in the run-out Ducati Course special edition). Top of the pile for many was the 2002 GTA, with Alfa’s 250bhp 3.2-litre V6. The 147 was equipped with air-conditioning, alloys and leather on top models, the whole thing feeling nicely screwed together. The car got a 2005 facelift, with the addition of 159 and Brera styling themes, while the suspension was sharpened up. Not much could be done to improve space though. If it’s roomy a cabin you want, it’s not for you. Still tempted? Then step this way…  
  
MARKET ANALYSIS  
Numbers are in decline, and we’ve spotted more than a few in scrapyards in 2025, so now is the time to start saving the good ones. There isn’t a huge choice anyway, so get in with the owners’ clubs for the best examples. Fellow members are likely to charge you top dollar, as the cars will have no doubt been cherished. Expect to pay up to five grand for the nicest example of a Twin Spark or JTD. A look further afield and on the usual websites and forecourts and you’ll find good 1.6-litre models for as little as £1500, while a later TS or diesel will set you back just £2500. As for the GTA? Ten grand gets the best, although we’ve seen them go for a few thousand less at auction recently, so keep your eyes peeled.  
**The inspection**  
The Twin-Spark units are truly delightful, but aren’t without their issues. They tend to guzzle oil – in some cases a litre every 1000 miles.  
What doesn’t help is the fact that the cylinder head features oil jets to cool the pistons, which allows the oil to vaporise. Make sure the cambelt has been replaced every 36,000 miles (72,000 or six years on the JTD). When you’re replacing the cambelt you should fit the newer metal tensioner, not the plastic one. The 2-litre 16v has a balance belt and tensioner that will also need replacing, otherwise the belt tensioner can break, and the debris become trapped in the cambelt drive. A special camshaft locking tool is required if you change the cambelt yourself.  
Oil changes need to be done annually or every 12,000 miles, preferably using Selenia 10w40 semi-synthetic, although the slow-burn HPX 20w50 brew may reduce oil consumption on high milers. The variable valve timing variator on the TS unit can get noisy and make the engine sound like a diesel, especially if run low on oil. It screws into the end of the camshaft and costs about £250 from a main dealer and £150 from an independent. When replacing the spark plugs, be aware that there are two different lengths and you need to be careful not to overtighten the smaller of the two; also, remember to refit the earth wire at the back of the engine. As there are eight spark plugs, it’s just as well they only need replacing every 60,000 miles. Incidentally, if you spot oil in the spark plug wells, replace the cam cover gasket. JTD units are robust. If there are problems with cutting out, though, suspect the high-pressure diesel pump.

Twin Spark lump is an absolute belter of an engine.  
The storming 250bhp 3.2-litre V6 GTA is rare and its 24mpg fuel economy could rule it out for some owners. Again, oil use seems an issue and it’s important to keep an eye on the cooling system, specifically the rad, as it must do a lot of work.  
Gearboxes on all models are reasonably strong, although synchromesh can fail with age, especially on JTD models. Reconditioned units sell for around £550 from gearbox specialists, while used units sell for £100-£150. Some ’boxes also suffer shaft bearing noise, but stripping the ’box and changing the bearings solves the problem. Clutches are self-adjusting so a high biting point signifies that a new item is around the corner. Autoboxes are good, but the Selespeed paddle shift option can sometimes stick in gear or fail to shift properly. It’s not always the ’box at fault – the pump under the front wing, the actuator, trip switches or the three-piece clutch may also be to blame. On those models, check that all of the different ways of changing gear work – from the paddles to the gear knob and ‘city’ mode.

Cabin is nicely made, but check everything works.  
Like the 156, the 147 is prone to bush wear, and because Alfa doesn’t supply the bushes separately, main dealer replacements can prove pricey. It’s common to find wear in the upperand lower arms, bottom balljoints, link rods, droplinks and anti-roll bar bushes (which can knock). The top strut mounts are also a weak point – they start squeaking, and if you notice uneven tyre wear at the front this could be why. Unlike the 156, there’s been little call for replacement steering racks, but if yours should go (symptoms being a knocking sound when turning the wheel from lock-to-lock) reckon on spending £250 from an independent. Beware rusting power steering pipes. Meanwhile, the GTA is so ridiculously nose heavy, front suspension components wear quickly, and with so much power on tap, the diff takes quite a hammering. The Q2, Alfa’s Torsen mechanical limited slip differential, is worth having if one’s not been fitted as an option already. Some 147 owners have experienced ABS warning lights appearing, usually due to adjustment on the brake pedal switch. Setting it up properly is a tricky job requiring feeler gauges. The only brake malady concerns sticking rear pads – simply free them off and apply a small quantity of copper-based grease to the back surfaces.  
Inside, the 147 was well made but look for tired trim as it isn’t that easy to find. The driver’s side window regulators can fail, while wiper motors have been known to go wrong. Poor connections and dodgy switches are normal, as are mysterious blinking dash lights. With that in mind, start by checking for a failing battery – it’s the cause of many an issue for a car of this era.  
‘All the spirit of an Alfa, but easy to live with’

One of the greatest badges of all.  
  
**WHAT TO PAY**  
**PROJECT** £500-£1500  
**GOOD** £1500-£4000  
**EXCELLENT** £4000-£10,000  
**TECH SPEC**  
**ENGINE** 1970CC/4-CYL/OHC  
**POWER** 148BHP@6300RPM  
**TORQUE** 133LB FT@3800RPM  
**GEARBOX** 5-SPEED MAN  
**TOP SPEED** 129MPH   
**0-60MPH** 9.3SEC   
**ECONOMY** 31.7MPG  
  
**WHAT WE SAY** **THE ONE TO BUY**  
**James Walshe…**  
This completely outrageous little 150mph shopping cart is all about the engine, isn't it? All you have to do is stamp on the throttle and your ears are assaulted by the melodic howl of Alfa Romeo’s majestic 3.2-litre V6. Sure, the GTA isn’t blessed with the finesse of a Focus and while it lacks the grip of an Impreza and slickness of a Civic Type-R, who cares? The GTA still feels sharp and agile and delivers the kind of maniacal thrill that few others can. We should be glad they made it. It’s delightfully unhinged.

  
**Matt Tomkins…**  
I'll confess here to rather enjoying the combination of excellent chassis dynamics and lower power output, so will seek to combine the 147’s good looks with that frugal oil burner, please. I'll delight in conserving momentum and exploiting the suspension to the full once I've fitted some fresh bushes. I might even make good use of the 1300kg braked towing capacity to ensure I have the best looking rig in the paddock! I’d enjoy those oft-repurposed seats, too, which ensure it’s a comfortable place to be behind the wheel.

  
**Danny Hopkins…**  
I have owned three of these little beauties and the current example, a lowly 1.6 three-door, is the best of them. Three doors means a nice taut looking body and the 1.6-litre engine revs wonderfully; above 3500rpm you just don’t notice its lack of cubic capacity. The cabin of the 147 is majestic –it's an environment where the driver is king from where the handling and roadholding turn this brilliant little shopping trolley into a superb driver’s pet. The 147's styling is maturing extremely well, too.  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
**Alfa Workshop**, :a[alfaworkshop.co.uk]{href='https://alfaworkshop.co.uk' }  
**Alfaholics**, :a[alfaholics.com]{href='https://alfaholics.com' }  
**Autolusso,** :a[autolusso.co.uk]{href='https://autolusso.co.uk' }  
**EB Spares Ltd**, :a[ebspares.co.uk]{href='https://ebspares.co.uk' }

2000-2010 Alfa Romeo 147

THE BIG RESTORATION  
It took six years to find, one donor vehicle and over four years to rebuild, but David O’Leary ended up with his dream car  
**WORDS** DANNY HOPKINS **PHOTOS** JONATHAN JACOB

  
**THE RESTORER**  
David O'Leary lives in in Handsworth, Sheffield. He is a retired bus fitter/mechanic who is also restoring a classic motorbike. He loves classic Renaults and problem solving… a good combination.  
**AS FOUND**

Immaculate bay with homemade wheel insert.

  
**D**avid O’Leary’s Renault 16 GL rolled off the line in 1969, so is one of the last of the early 16s and, as such, is super rare. It came to him on a nostalgic whim: ‘I used to work on one in Australia. I always enjoyed how it drove and so I thought “I’ll have one of those”. I must have been searching for one for six years before this car came up for sale on eBay.’  
It was located in Malvern, so David went to have a look at it before bidding. ‘I didn’t win the auction as somebody else out-bid me. However, when the winning bidder turned up, he took one look at the car and said he didn’t want it after all. Fortunately, I’d messaged the seller and asked that if it didn’t work out, could he let me know. And he did.’ David was the only bidder who’d actually been to look at it, so the seller knew he wasn’t going to mess him about. ‘I got it for £650’. Sounds like a bargain, David shakes his head as he says: ‘Well, in my naivety and excitement I thought I could just stick some sills on it and run it as a bit of an oily-rag, but four and a half years later, here we are’.  
‘It was a toss up between the spares car and this one’  
The car’s pre restoration story was telling. ‘The back story of the car is that a gent – we’ll call him grandad – bought the car new in Exeter. He then gave it to his son, who lived in Malvern, who parked it up in 1982 in a lean-to. I suspect the head gasket might have gone. Hence why it was seized up. I bought the car off the grandson, so it had been in one family until I got it in 2018… but in one shed for more than 35 years.’ One side appeared to be in worse order than the other, this was probably the side most exposed in the lean-to.

A puffing cherub and a foot… heater controls!

  
The reality set in once David had taken the engine out – which was seized solid – and started looking under the wings. ‘The entire footwell was missing’. At this point, Exhibit A is presented to the court – David holds up a proper bit of rust, not just your common or garden standard rust, but a sizable chunk. He says: ‘This is what they call your web. This is the inner sill and the outer sill, and this web is what gives it all its strength’. Inspecting the unbelievably frilly remains reveals the web was only held together by air. ‘It gets better than that. This is the rear suspension mounting point’ he says ruefully holding up another chunk. ‘The sill should continue through to the wheelarch and then the rear torsion bar suspension all bolts to that. Rust here is what used to kill these cars back in the day. You have to take all the suspension off to repair the mounting points. That’s what I was confronted with when I started working on it’.  
The true extent of the task that lay ahead was huge but David rolled his sleeves up and cracked on. ‘Failure wasn’t an option. I’d convinced my wife that I could do it and I’d got my mind set that there was going to be a lot of fabrication, just not as much as I anticipated.

  
Luckily, I found a donor car.’ Initially he was just going to pinch the rear lower quarters from it but there were many more parts on it that he could use. ‘I cut a lot of pieces off that and grafted them onto this car, which saved me a lot of work.’  
In terms of spare parts, Renault 16’s are not well-served, ‘Buy whatever you can, when you can and hoard them. Replacement wings and bonnets simply don’t exist so it was a case of grafting bits off the donor car, and even then, these wings aren’t off the donor car. I had to use bits of my original car to repair these ones.’ At least all the grafted parts were genuine Renault. ‘The only aftermarket parts on the body are the sills, which were a pain as they were over-sills, so they’re made just that bit bigger, and you have to make them fit.’  
The donor car came from a chap in the club called Mike Stokes. ‘Initially, I bought the sills and a few other bits, but then Mike sadly passed away, and his stock was being sold off. I went to Spalding to buy everything I thought I’d need in the future and, while I was there, there were two 16s that were going to be scrapped, but I ended up paying £50 for the entire donor car.’ Back in Sheffield David realised it was a toss-up between saving the original car or the donor vehicle, ‘but mine had the better history and is an earlier model. I could have quite easily saved the other one instead. But I’d have still been repairing this one if I hadn’t bought the other car’. £50 well spent!  
Stripping the car down wasn’t the starting point, however, as the first big job on the to-do list ended up being the engine. ‘My brother and I spent a good day or two trying to get it to unseize it. We were putting steam into the bores, left diesel in it for weeks, but it just wouldn’t move. A machining guy that I know told me he was planning to retire, so I knew I had to get it to him before he did. I took the head and block down to him and he removed the the con-rods. I sourced new pistons, then he used his press and said it took ten tons to get the pistons out of the bores!’

  
Then I came the big body strip-down, ‘I think it had just had a service and MOT when it was originally laid up, because all the brakes were like brand-new, even after all that time. I think someone had spent a lot of money on it and then the head gasket had gone, so they probably thought “I’m not spending anymore.” Someone had obviously tried to take care of it, as wherever rust was starting to come through they’d brushed it with grease.’ Sadly, the time it had stood took its toll on the areas that hadn’t been greased.  
‘With the machining done, I built the engine up straight away. It’s a 1470cc pre-crossflow engine. Getting engine parts isn’t too bad, but the biggest problem I found for this was finding gaskets for the carburettor. You just can’t get them. I ended up buying a brand-new carburettor on eBay, which was a real stroke of luck and that negated that big problem. I also found new rubber seals in a box of bits at Beaulieu. Seriously that was a crucial find. Even in France they are rare.’ Proof that the International Autojumble can still do its thing.

Flick a lever, LHD head lights. Brilliant.

  
Even so, David is still on the hunt for parts. ‘I’m still working on it. If you look closely, you’ll see there are bolts missing from the back of the bumper. That’s because they’re later bumpers and the brackets are 15mm deeper on later ones. What you see here is the original middle, but as these are later ones, it’s kicking them out as they don’t line up, so I’ve had to repair my originals, which are actually still at the chrome platers at the moment. A lot of people say everything on a Renault 16 fits a 16, but it doesn’t.’ David explains that ball joints and bonnets are different, early wings have different indicators. The bumpers are different. Even the clutch cables are different, ‘so you have to be really careful with parts.’  
With the engine rebuilt, David began body repairs: ‘I pulled the wings and bonnet off and started on a corner, then just worked my way around. All of the repairs were done on my patio at home, under a tarpaulin cover. That’s one of the reasons it took four and half years. The weather played its part’. Asking how he got that past his wife, he laughs: ‘I told her it wouldn’t be that long, that I would be out and she could have the space back in a few months. Thankfully she has been extremely understanding.’  
Bit by bit, the project progressed. Fortunately, David had welded before. He says: ‘I had done bits before. I trained as a fitter on the buses. While I wasn’t trained in bodywork, over the years I had got into welding. I enjoy welding and making panels. That’s the fun part. I don’t like filling and rubbing panels down or prepping for paint. I enjoy the fabrication.’

And yes, one wheelbase is longer than the other.

  
With the metal repairs done and dusted, David turned to an old friend for the paint. ‘I coerced him into painting it and took it over to his place. Once it was done, we came back here and assembled it. I got the doors back on and the windows fitted first as I needed it to be watertight. Actually, thinking about it, the engine went in before the rest of it went for paint. We painted the engine bay here under the cover. Once it was watertight, the interior went back in. ‘The only areas I had retrimmed were the bottoms of the seats, everything else is original. I made the centre console, and I did have some mats made, but it’s still got the original carpets underneath.’  
‘Basically, I tried to keep as much of the original car as possible. Even the numberplates. I removed the letters and replaced the backing. When I take it to shows, people ask if it’s been restored and that gives me so much pride. It’s not a trailer queen. I’ve done 1200 miles to France in it.  
‘This has taken me four and half years, but I retired and had two years solid on it. If I hadn’t retired at that point, I’d still be working on it. It’s been a real labour of love.’ The 60th anniversary of a remarkable car could not be celebrated by a more fitting endeavour.  
  
**Here’s how David did it…**

  
**1 JUNE 2015**  
The 1470cc engine was seized. Really seized. It took a 10-ton press to move the pistons – the last job for David’s engineer friend.

  
**2 MAY 2016**  
The spares car that David bought was actually in slightly better condition than the car he was restoring. He used sections from it in the end… lots of them!

  
**3 JAN 2017**  
Hundreds of tiny individual panels ended up being grafted on the the 16. Under the white paint it is a patchwork of genius.

  
**4 MAY 2017**  
David also ended up doing a lot of his own fabrication including this torsion bar retainer. Seen with the pattern.

  
**5 MARCH 2018**  
Bodywork complete, ready for paint preparation on the patio… a patio that would be family-friendly again after some four years.

60 years of the 16 in 2025. Feels modern.  
  
**TECH SPEC: 1969 Renault 16GL**  
**Engine** 1470CC/4-cyl/OHV  
**Power** 54bhp@5000rpm  
**Torque** 108lbft@2800rpm  
**Gearbox** 4-speed manual  
**0-60mph** 19sec  
**Top speed** 90mph  
**Fuel economy** 30mpg  
  
**WHAT'S IT LIKE TO DRIVE**

  
I've driven a Renault 16 once before, but that was 24 years ago, so sinking back into the comfy vinyl driver’s seat and relearning Renault 16 is a fresh experience. The first thing that immediately makes itself apparent is how comfortable the car is, both in terms of driving position and seat comfort. Flick the engine – a sewing machine impersonator – on, engage first gear and float away.  
On the road manners are astonishing. The 16 seemingly hovers and leans in corners, but without panicking the horses. Everything feels light and precise, but also soft and malleable. The ride is better than any car I have ever driven bar a Citroën. It simply ignores bumps and undulations – it’s more comfortable than my dad's Jag and that rides on air. The 1200L engine is perky enough to keep up with modern traffic and, once you have learned the controls, it is a delightfully intuitive experience to pilot this magnificent piece of road history.  
It’s not dynamic, you don’t get much feedback from the road, but that’s not really the point. This is a practical work of genius that can take you to the moon and back without stress.  
  
**USEFUL CONTACTS**  
Renault Owners Club, :a[renaultownersclub.com]{href='https://renaultownersclub.com' }  
Renault 16 Shop, :a[renault16shop.com]{href='https://renault16shop.com' }  
  
**Restorer of the Year 2026**  
Restorer of the Year celebrates the shed heroes who, every year, produce extraordinary work breathing life back into basket cases and bringing classics that are going nowhere back to the road. With our sponsors Anglia Car Auctions, we’ll scour the land to bring you the very best then, early in 2026, you get to nominate your favourite restos. From your top ten nominations our panel of experts will select the top five nominees so that you can meet the winner at the **PC** Classic Car and Restoration show at the NEC next March.

Sweet 16!

Tech solutions and real world tips  
  
**Matt Tomkins**  
**PROJECTS EDITOR**  
Our workshop puppet master, Matt has a penchant for restoring British classics in particular.  
This month Has been preparing for the race season with an oil change for the Seven and a service for his car trailer.  
  
**Rich March**  
**PRO BUFFER**  
New recruit Rich runs UK Detailing Academy. Our expert at making things shiny.  
**This month** Is getting down and dirty with some hot tips for convertible roof cleaning and long-term maintenance.  
  
**Ed Hughes**  
**WORKSHOP GENIUS**  
A former teacher, Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car and intends keep it that way.  
**This month** Has been wondering where to start with a pair of extremely rusty windscreen pillars…  
  
**Nigel Clark**  
**DIY RESTORER**  
Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of pro mechanics. He’s our resident Triumph and BMW expert.  
**This month** Has been enjoying the warmer weather and lighter, longer evenings, offering an opportunity to be out in the classics more often.

  
**MISFIRES**  
Why does my car misfire?  
**Q I’ve taken my Renault Clio out of storage. When revved it drops briefly onto two cylinders, with large sparks jumping between the plug caps and the engine. Suggestions?**  
**Mark Holdsworth, Keighley**

  
  
CONDEMNED?  
Don’t automatically bin plugs and HT leads – they’re usually quite innocent. Keep a few old spares for testing.  
BUT ARE THEY REAL?  
Always buy spark plugs from a reputable retailer. There are lots of counterfeit ones around.  
BANG!  
Backfires, either from air intake or exhaust, are usually caused by a misdirected spark or a suddenly-weak mixture.  
**Ed says**  
**A** We'll look at a variety of possibilities – though we think your problem is simple. When speeding the engine up, pressure in the cylinder is much higher. This requires a higher voltage to make a spark jump the plug gap. If the gaps are too large – if you haven't serviced them since last Spring – the spark finds it easier to escape via the dirt and damp on the outside of the caps and plugs. Most misfires and backfires are a result of sparks taking an easier path to earth. Unless caps and leads are physically deteriorated or the rotor arm burned, it'll be enough to clean everything with a petrol-moistened rag. Make sure plug gaps are correct and if the electrodes are rounded and worn, replace them. Most misfires appear under load or when accelerating. A loss of power or roughness suggests one cylinder's going down; a giant hesitation points to some common part – usually the rotor arm or coil. If you find no fault in the ignition, it's possible the fuel system can't keep up. Examine fuel supply lines, pump and carburettor. It's a likely symptom if one of a pair of carbs is not working, or if carbs are badly-balanced.  
A constant misfire, even when idling, is easy to find. Using insulated pliers, pull off each HT lead in turn. The engine slows when a good one is removed, but remains the same when you've identified the wrong 'un. Try substituting one plug or lead at a time to isolate the problem. You can swap them between cylinders if you have no spares. If the problem remains in that cylinder, you may have valve trouble (clearance; burned) or a large air leak (manifold gasket; servo etc).  
  
**MATT SAYS**  
One useful diagnostic tip I picked up amid a late night breakdown is to open the bonnet in the pitch dark and watch the HT leads as the engine runs. You'll see the high voltage causes the ends to glow. Any extra-bright areas, hotspots or sparks indicate something needs your attention.  
  
**PEUGEOT 106**  
DIAGNOSTICS MADE SIMPLE  
**Q Can you offer any advice on how to read error codes off my 1992 Peugeot 106?**  
**James Peters, Lowestoft**  
**Ed says**

It’s like a Year Nine school project!  
**A** You should find a two-pin plug behind the headlamp, by the ECU. Insert a paperclip into pin 2. Connect a red LED, resistor and an earth wire as shown. Earth the wire for a few seconds then release it. The unit will flash error codes through the LED: (long flash) - (short flash) (short flash) indicates 1-2, or code 12 – which announces the start of the error codes, flashed in the same two-digit form. It ends with code 11. Write them down (they repeat three times before moving to the next) and find the codes that apply to the ECU on your car (usually Bosch or Marelli). Clear existing codes by earthing pin 2 of the diagnostic plug for 10 seconds. If the car has a keypad immobiliser, you'll have to unlock it before starting work.  
  
**BRAKING SYSTEMS**  
Given a brake!  
**Q** **Will a remote brake servo improve my Morris Minor's awful brakes?**  
**Nic Kellow, Rugby**

Servos are useful – but not as a sticking plaster for derelict brakes.  
**Ed says**  
**A** It's hard to judge from here whether your brakes are 'awful' by modern standards, or just awful. A Minor – and most classics for that matter – should have brakes that are adequate. In other words, they don't grab, routinely lock wheels or pull to one side, or give you palpitations every time you have to pull up sharply. Non-servo brakes require your physical effort to make them work, but it shouldn't be a Herculean task.  
That said, if you mostly drive more modern machinery, then a servo will make the Morris more user-friendly. Modern brakes are so sharp that we'd advise anyone in a classic to give extra stopping distance at all times. Your servo will need some replumbing of the brake lines (and subsequent bleeding) and the insertion of a vacuum take-off in the inlet manifold. Before proceeding, thoroughly inspect the brakes looking for seized or leaking wheel cylinders and master cylinder, shoes contaminated with brake fluid , grease or oil, excessive shoe wear, correct adjustment and drums (or discs) that are scored or otherwise heavily worn.  
Routinely inspect them after any period of storage, which is when cylinders tend to rust solid or start leaking. Change brake fluid every two years.  
  
**TOURING**  
The trip of a lunchtime  
**Q I'm planning a gastronomic tour of Italy in my Lancia Delta. What tools and spares should I pack?**  
**Henry Newell, Berkshire**

A small selection of useful bits is reassuring.  
**Ed says**  
**A** We'll generalise for anyone, taking any car, anywhere. Take a high-vis vest for each occupant, a warning triangle, wheel wrench and jack/trolley jack. Find a decent spare tyre! Loosen wheel nuts and retorque them correctly to avoid finding them seized solid. Take a tyre pump or inflator plus a reliable pressure gauge. Carry a mostly-full fuel can, brake fluid, engine and gear oil and water or coolant – classic-friendly varieties are hard to find on major routes. Take working gloves and rags. Make sure you have a fan belt, rotor arm, points and condenser (where fitted) and a spare spark plug and long HT lead. Consider a fuel pump, coil and maybe a water pump; other items if you have them – electronic ignition amplifier, spare electronic distributor, ECU, sensors, head gasket kit etc. They're more useful in the car than at home. Even if you can't fit them, a mechanic can. Speaking of which, take tools according to your skill level. As a basic, we'd suggest good quality slotted screwdrivers: large, small and miniature electrical; Philips no.1 and 2; pliers, wire cutters (plus electrical wire and a wire coat hanger), a spark plug wrench and an appropriate set of spanners (up to about 1924mm or ¾ to one inch) to fit your car. Take a head torch to save damaging your phone. More advanced DIYers should consider overalls, a socket set and maybe a torque wrench, plus Torx or other special bits. If you know your car well, take selected sizes of spanner and socket, rather than the whole set. Give the engine bay a clean-up, to make quick inspections and minor repairs less grimy.  
It's worth remembering that a thousand-mile trip, say, would have been an undemanding feat for most classics when new. The best thing you can do to ensure success is to service the car a month beforehand and then use it intensively, attending to any issues that arise along the way. By the time the holiday comes round, you'll have great confidence in the machine.  
  
**TOOLS**  
CARELESS TORQUE  
**Q I have a ½in torque wrench, range 28Nm to 200Nm. I'm thinking of buying a 'baby' ¼in one – but would I use it?**  
**Miklós Reményi, Boston**

Even strut top nuts require only very modest torque.  
**Ed says**  
**A**Yes. Anything M8 (or equivalent) or below is way below the lower limit of the larger torque wrench, and it's easy to strip threads if the manufacturer has only bothered to make them strong enough for the expected torque setting. Typically M8 (13mm hex) is 16 to 21Nm, depending on application and M6 as low as 5-7Nm. Not only do threads become stripped and bolts snapped, but castings are permanently distorted by overtightening.  
  
**ELECTRICS**  
Mixed messages  
**Q My Renault 19's fuel gauge reads almost empty, most of the time, and the warning lamp doesn't work. Any ideas?**  
**Becca Roberts, Llandudno**  
**Ed says**  
**A** It sounds like a problem with the tank sender unit – specifically we think it's lost its earth connection. It may have just fatigued at one end and broken, or it may have corroded away – it depends where it's mounted. It may earth to a screw in, say a cover panel under the rear seat or maybe it shares an earth with one of the rear lights.  
  
**TYRES**  
Tread carefully!  
**Q My Ford Focus has winter tyres on it. Should I continue to use them as the weather warms up?**  
**Andrew Norris, Kendal**  
**Ed says**

Seasonal tyres differ in tread and compound.  
**A**Winter tyres are soft, to grip at low temperatures, and have lots of tread blocks and sipes to cut into and disperse mud, slush and surface water. In summer, you'll probably find them noisy, a bit squirmy and – paradoxically – a little too grippy for spirited driving. They'll also wear more rapidly. However, if you're just trundling around, you're unlikely to notice any of this. If annual mileage is low, it's hardly worth having two sets of tyres ageing badly in the garage: just wear out the ones on the car. If you cover a high mileage, however, we think you should probably swap them over. Get a secondhand set of wheels to put them on.  
  
**IGNITION SYSTEMS**  
IS RESISTANCE FUTILE?  
**Q My Triumph GT6 starts immediately, then dies when I release the key to the 'run' position.**  
**Steven Knight, Dundalk**  
**Ed says**  
**A** Your car has ballast ignition. It's an aid to reliable starting. The coil (resistance 1 - 2) is rated 6 to 9V. In normal running, it's fed by the 'ballast' resistor which prevents the coil being overloaded. When starting, the ballast resistor is bypassed – sending full battery voltage to the coil. With a good battery, the coil is overdriven, giving a strong spark. With a tired battery, the coil still receives the required 6-9V delivering an adequate spark. It sounds like your ballast resistor has failed so the coil only runs when directly supplied. In an emergency, you can wire coil + straight to battery +, but just temporarily. Most ballast resistors are in a ceramic block near the coil, but some  
Triumph and other BL cars use a length of resistance wire between ignition switch and coil. This looks like any other wire. Check for a loose connection or wire broken / corroded at the crimp terminal. The contacts that bypass the ballast resistor are usually found on the starter solenoid.  
  
**FLOOR PAINT**  
TOTALLY FLOORED  
**Q I want to paint my garage floor. What should I use?**  
**Todd Leymann, Diss**  
**Ed says**  
**A** There are three options: water-based acrylic, oil-based polyurethane and two-part epoxy. Notionally expensive, the epoxy is by far the most durable, and economical to apply. The others are fine for cupboards, but the heavy traffic of a confined work space will soon destroy them. Follow the instructions to the letter, especially when it comes to priming/pre-sealing the existing surface. Some concrete constantly moults and may need vacuuming, then pre-sealing with a dilute PVA solution, or diluted floor paint. If very rough, a screed coat may be needed. If the floor's contaminated with oil, you'll need to do with it what you can: scraping, wire-brushing and degreasing.  
However, it may still cause problems with long-term adhesion. Finally, pick a good colour. White will be ruined after a week, but a light grey will reflect almost as much light – important in a small space.  
  
READER'S TIPS  
When poking a nut onto a stud using a socket and long extension, pack the socket out with more nuts, or stick the nut in with blu-tack etc. You can then apply some force to wriggle it onto the thread.  
**Jon Hamer, Huddersfield**  
Sending an air cleaner for powdercoating? Block the breather inlet first: you'll never get the sand out otherwise!  
**Andy Long, Belfast**  
  
**FAILURE OF THE MONTH**  
Ed chickens out!  
When the aluminium threads went on the brake union (left) I found another, helpfully in cast iron (right). Problem solved… until I cleaned and examined it. It was completely home-made from a ring of steel and three separate unions, brazed together. The holes in the steel ring were all wonky. I thought about it… but not for long.

June 2025: Ask Our Experts

HEAD TO HEAD  
Two of our favourite Eighties hot saloons do battle – but which is best?

  
**Alfa Romeo 75 V6**  
**ENGINE** 2959cc/V6/DOHC  
**POWER** 188bhp@5800rpm  
**TORQUE** 180lb ft@4000rpm  
**GEARBOX** 5-speed manual  
**0-60MPH** 7.5sec  
**TOP SPEED** 138mph  
**ECONOMY** 18-24mpg  
  
**Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16**  
**ENGINE** 2498cc/4-cyl/DOHC  
**POWER** 197bhp@6200rpm  
**TORQUE** 176lb ft@4500rpm  
**GEARBOX** 3-speed automatic  
**0-60MPH** 7.2sec  
**TOP SPEED** 144mph  
**ECONOMY** 18-26mpg

  
**H**ot hatches stole the headlines in the early Eighties, but it was also decade in which affordable high-performance saloons clawed their way to prominence. Interest in go-faster three-box designs was high but it was a wish to enter the 190E into motorsport that led Mercedes-Benz to ask Cosworth to work on a suitable engine for its compact saloon. Originally envisaged for rallying, the 190E 2.3-16 found its natural home in touring cars instead, starting in 1984. Homologation rules meant a road-going version needed development.  
It was launched with quite some fanfare – Mercedes invited a group of F1 legends – both young and old – to a one-off race at the then-new Nürburgring GP circuit. And new boy on the block Ayrton Senna ended up trouncing the lot of them.  
Meanwhile, Alfa Romeo briefly forgot its financial struggles to celebrate its 75th birthday in 1985 with the appropriately named 75. It was Alfa’s last offering before Fiat took the Milanese company over, and thus has something of a special place with enthusiasts, especially in V6 form. The 75 offered superb performance and was also packed with retro tech. There was even an onboard computer, which was quite radical for the time. It too was a regular performer on track. Today, both cars tick a lot of boxes, and (especially in the case of the Alfa Romeo) have price tags that still make them relatively attainable as modern classics. But just how well do these hot saloons compare with each other four decades after their sparring Eighties heyday?  
  
**Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16**

  
There’s something vaguely demonic about the Mercedes-Benz 190E 2.5-16. Especially in menacing blue-black metallic. Its brooding persona is relieved only by the sparse areas of brightwork on the front grille and the alloys. Clean lined and balanced, it doesn’t want to draw too much attention to what it’s capable of. The bodykit is subtle, only the rear spoiler hints that something a bit more special is going on but, by Eighties standards, it’s very restrained. Later evolutions would sprout bigger wheelarches and massive spoilers, but in its purest and earliest form, the 190E just doesn’t need to show off.  
Inside, the sober theme continues. A bank of additional gauges in the centre console is the main pointer to the go-faster Mercedes’ secrets, but apart from them, only the checked seats are a major departure from the usual conservatism. Start the engine and… there’s very little sense of drama. The four-pot whispers away quietly in the background, and even blipping the throttle fails to provoke the sort of raucous response that you feel something tweaked by Cosworth – and with a motorsport pedigree – should have. Where’s the roar, the shriek, the anger?

  
It’s not immediately apparent when you get underway either. It is extraordinarily smooth for a big-capacity four, feeling like it has at least two more cylinders than there really are. Ride quality is equally silky – the suspension does a masterful job of soaking up knocks before they reach the cabin. The Benz is not floaty in any way, though. To properly exploit the automatic 190E, you need to move the switch by the side of the gear selector from ‘E’ (Economy) to ‘S’ (Sport). And when you do, the car suddenly, and finally, becomes alive, like a sudden injection of adrenaline. Although it’s only the gearbox's programming that's been altered, the whole car feels tighter. There’s a polite pause while kickdown takes a while to think about what it’s being asked to do, but once there, you're catapulted forward on a wave of abundant torque. Sadly it doesn't last long though, and the result is a car that seems to hide its rampant speed from your senses as soon as they pop up.

  
On corners, the Cosworth-tuned Mercedes feels really unflappable; sure-footed and safe thanks to the big lumps of rubber and its low stance. That means predictable handling – even tight bends hold little fear, although there’s perhaps a hint of understeer if you’re a little too adventurous. But once in tune with the 190E, there’s no need for over-enthusiasm, because the brakes are so responsive they allow you to place the car on the road perfectly. This touring car for the road may have excellent performance, but it’s reigned in within well-engineered parameters for the minimum of drama.

  
In contrast to the Mercdes, the Alfa Romeo makes it patently obvious it’s all about the speed. The body kit is much more pronounced than on the 190E, making it look like a riotous racetrack refugee. There’s no beating around the bush here – this is full-bore Eighties aggression. This car was Alfa Romeo’s 75th birthday present to itself and its fans, and it intended to create something a bit special. The blocky, modular dash matches the exterior lines, but it’s how Alfa has laid things out that really sparks the curiosity. The handbrake is an enormous U-handle that looks like you should use two hands to pull it up. Bizarrely, the electric window switches are up in the roof, the door handles are triggers and the radio is placed right down at the very bottom of the centre console, in front of the gear lever.

  
From the moment you fire up the V6, it does its best to constantly remind you it’s there. It has a deep, clearly audible growl that pervades the cabin and encourages you to make the most of it. And, unlike on the Mercedes-Benz, toeing the accelerator just makes it sound better still. Already, the Alfa feels like the faster machine, even though the stats don’t bear this out. Its bass-heavy soundtrack gives it an all-action flavour.  
Having a manual gearbox helps. The free-revving engine encourages you to hold on to the changes later, just to hear that delicious noise. The 75 also feels more responsive than the 190E, both at your right foot on the throttle and your left arm on the gearlever. Change quality is variable on these cars, but this one's been rebuilt, and is as good as it should be. It can be snicked quickly through the short-throw gate, almost begging you to play with it – a delight when allied to its glorious engine.

  
The slightest pressure on the throttle urges the Alfa forward. You’d swear it has the better performance of the pair, although the figures say otherwise – probably because it's so vibrant, and telegraphs such a wonderful soundtrack at revs, full and richly timbred. There’s lots of feedback through the steering wheel, broadcasting the road surface like a wasabi-fed cockerel's morning call. The firm ride is jarring over some bumps, but is well damped. The brakes need a hefty prod to give their best. The Alfa can be tricky in the corners – even at moderate speeds, you can feel the rear get a little twitchy, especially in the wet. Make sure you keep your wits about you, at least in the twisty bits.  
Intimidating? Maybe, but you'll be grinning from ear to ear after you've tackled a favoured B-road at high speed. Then you'll want – sorry, need – to go back and do it again, and again, and again. The Alfa's a gateway drug to pure petrolhead addiction.

  
  
**THE DEBATE**  
**DANNY SAYS…** **ALFA WINS**  
Astonishing to think it’s 40 years old, but the 75 doesn’t feel it when you get behind the wheel. The noise, the sense of occasion, the passion… all constant emotional companions, along with the imminent sense of danger. That’s why it wins for me.  
The 190 is too good. Too normal. I’ve owned two 190s and they were superb at being cars. I used them daily and they served faithfully. I’ve never owned a 75, but boy…  
I would love to. Having driven one over many miles on a photoshoot, I became an immediate fanboy. Few fast saloons have ever made me feel less boring. I will never forget driving an Alfa Romeo 75 –it nearly killed me on several occasions -and I want more of it please.

  
**JAMES SAYS…** **MERCEDES WINS**  
Yes, that Alfa engine is one of the all-time greats, and while I’m not a fan of the 75’s wonky styling, it makes the 190E look boring. However, I would walk away from the Italian. In fact, I’d run. I just don’t have time for the inevitable hassle. To own, the Merc’s quality shames all other cars –moderns included. From tight shut-lines and the reassuring thud of the door as it closes to the incomparable logic of the cabin layout. And then you floor the throttle and the German goes wild. Its power delivery is effortlessly ferocious, yet it’s unflappable in the bends. There’s Eighties naffness here and that, for me, makes the 2.5-16 one of the best performance cars of the decade.

  
**WANT TO OWN ONE?**  
**MERCEDES Mark Knight, Worcestershire**

  
It is a lovely car to drive, and it’s very involving. I am a big fan of the wolf in sheep’s clothing because, other than the rear spoiler, there’s very little to tell people what this car actually is. Being an auto, you can use it as an ordinary car to potter around in but it’s also very responsive. I always had a thing about the Cosworth because James Hunt did the first UK road test of one and called it the best-handling car in Britain. It’s been a good car to own; they’re pretty bulletproof and have a great reputation for reliability. I bought an ordinary 190E to use as an everyday car. Tips for buying? The single arm wiper mechanism requires greasing, often skipped. Inside, check for lifting door cards, cracked dash and all electrics. Uneven tyre wear suggests the car has been in an accident and not repaired properly. The earlier 2.3-litre cars have a single timing chain, which needs to have been changed every 60,000 to 70,000 miles. Oil changes every 5000 miles are also paramount. The 2.5-litre cars have a more resilient duplex chain.  
**ALFA Harvey Smith, Gloucestershire**

  
'I’ve owned my Alfa Romeo 75 for two years – I was looking to replace my Sud Sprint and nearly bought a 155, but then I saw an advert for this and there wasn't much looking back. It’s fast and furious, and looks fast even standing still. If you potter around, it’s fine, but it’s when you reach the upper end that it comes alive. You do need to be a bit careful in the rain, though. Buying tips? Check for rust in the usual places. If the control centre inside isn’t working as it should, suspect a faulty transducer. Rear brake calipers can seize, especially on little-used cars, and they’re inboard items too. A light vibration from the transmission at idling can be caused by faulty rubber Hardy discs, which connect the engine to the gearbox. A knocking noise when pulling away points to worn mountings or a bearing on its way out – get someone to see if the rear wheels move forward before the rest of the chassis when pulling away.  
  
**AND THE WINNER IS?**  
‘The Alfa is a flawed gem, but one you’ll love’  
The Alfa is the firecracker of the pair, with fingertip-twitching steering feedback, raspy V6 engine note and eye-popping styling. It's a Jack Russell, pulling at the lead, trying to take you into the next bend with a shouty bark. It's certainly got the looks and a reputation for brittle reliability, but most 75s you'll find will have been cared-for. Rare cars now, and prices will only increase as the demand for Eighties cars grows.  
The 190E may lack the hardcore immediacy of the Alfa Romeo but its thrills come in its ability to cover vast distances at ICBM-like speeds. It’s bomb-proof and you feel invulnerable to anything that might be thrown at you. The 190E is also the car that's shown most growth in the past few years. The best have sprinted towards more than £20k. The 190E is more in demand now than it was when new – it's a car first, and a fast car second. The Alfa Romeo 75, however, is a flawed gem, and one you'll love. Consequently, in a head versus heart decision, we'll take the 75. It's a modern classic that will really satisfy your driving passion, but thanks to great specialist support and rising demand, it's a car that also stacks up financially.

Booting it!

ME AND MY RESTO  
**Andy Ibbotson’s** epic resto, from barn find to Beaulieu!  
**INTERVIEW** MATT TOMKINS **PHOTOS** MATT HOWELL

  
**M**y son, Sam, first came across the van while walking public rights of way at work. It was just a mile from my house, as luck would have it, in a barn on a farm. Regular readers will know from my _Staff Car Sagas_ that I’m a long-term Morris Minor fan, so a van certainly piqued my interest. It had been painted black by a previous owner, but as soon as I lifted the bonnet I knew that it was a former Post Office van – and that it needed saving.  
It was in a really dreadful state, with rot everywhere, including around the notoriously tricky to repair gutters on both cab and back. The rot was so bad that the roof had been anchored to the sides with angle brackets to prevent it blowing away! Holes had been bridged with duct tape, which had been topped with filler that had latterly been covered in more tape. It’s astonishing really what people will do to keep an old van in service! It also had windows cut into the side, which required carefully welding up – a seriously tricky and time-consuming process to avoid warping the panels. In honesty, I only bought it as it was so local. It was past saving really, but despite all the corrosion and 30 years sitting in the shed, I was able to get it running where it sat and drove it onto the trailer to bring it home!  
That’s when reality really hit – I borrowed a space in a friends barn and left it for a year while I summoned the motivation, cleared the decks and came up with a plan of action. Once in the garage, and before the complete strip down began, I set to work repairing the van back while it was still on the chassis and bolted to the cab. This essentially acted as a jig to keep the shape and steadily, piece by piece, I was able to restore enough strength to the body – including replacing the floors and arches with repair sections – that it could be safely removed from the chassis.  
The cab came next and the van was soon stripped to its constituent components. Unlike the Minor saloons and Travellers, LCVs (vans and pick-ups) benefitted from a ladder chassis that makes the restoration process somewhat different to what I’d been used to until this point. The chassis too, of course, required a fair amount of rot cutting out and replacing. It was a painstaking process.  
Once the welding was complete, months of preparation followed before I painted each component – cab, back, doors, bonnet, wings – with synthetic enamel. The engine was rebuilt with fresh bearings and a rebore to +0.20, while each and every one of the ancillaries required attention – for example the distributor bob weights were seized solid and the carburettor needed a complete overhaul.

Long-hidden just a mile from his house, as soon as Andy saw yellow paint under the bonnet, he knew this barn find was worth restoring.  
**Rocking and rolling**  
The suspension was so worn out that rocking the top of the wheel yielded significant movement and clonks, so both uprights were replaced along with a full complement of trunnions and bushes throughout. The wear was remarkable given that it had only been on the road for 12 years in its working life – but following its service for the GPO it had served as a builders van and had clearly worked hard in that short time. I actually managed to get in touch with the builder who had used it and took the restored van to see him. He was delighted to see it again and amazed that it had survived. By all accounts, it should have been scrapped in the Eighties but luckily the farmer simply pushed it into the barn and left it. I now use it for everything from local events and runs to trips further afield such as the annual pilgrimage Sam and I take to Moggiefest, organised by the Dorset branch of the MMOC, at the Beaulieu Autojumble. It never fails to turn heads wherever it goes – being a bright yellow van – and performs well, even when fully loaded with spare parts and our favourite beer from a brewery deep in the New Forest!

**Nuts!** Minor LCVs featured double ended wheel nuts – so a full complement could be retained even if the threads were damaged on the end of one.

**Power** 1098c A-series is perky enough. Originally it would have been fitted with low compression pistons, which ensured sufficient torque to move the van when fully laden.

**Buzby!** Voiced by Bernard Cribbins, ‘Buzby’ first appeared in 1976 as part of a marketing campaign by Post Office Telecommunications. Andy has faithfully recreated the van’s livery and signage as it would have been when it left service.  
  
**BEST HELP**  
‘I bought a shrinker/stretcher tool to form repair panels for the gutters, but it’s paid for itself ten times over now.’  
**TIME TAKEN:** 2 years  
**ESTIMATED COST:** £2.5k

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