[ OUR CARS ] 2001 BMW 530i Sport manual

Rear suspension rebuild beyond Joe’s capabilities, so he enlisted Northampton marque specialist Autobarn

• Owned by Joe Breeze (joe.breeze@bauermedia.co.uk)

• Time owned Four years, ten months

• Latest/total miles 204/122,731

• Latest/total costs £1945/£11,499.60

• Previously Removing headlight cataracts

In my last update (Our Cars, February 2026) I detailed getting XLA ready for a looming MoT. While the headlight cataract operation and engine management light extinguishment were successful, the ABS warning trifecta remained even the ABS module had been rebuilt. With the speedo also inoperative, the only obvious candidate was the rear nearside wheel speed sensor the speedo takes its reading from. Replacing it with an OEM Bosch sensor reinstated the speedo and finally extinguished the warning lights.

That got the BMW through its test, but pulses through the brake pedal during low-speed braking indicated the system still wasn’t happy. Finding the weak link would require live wheel speed diagnostics, which could wait – the new most pressing issue was the list of suspension-related advisories which, combined with increasingly wallowy handling, told me it was time for a rebuild.

The E39’s M-Sport suspension boasts a godly balance of taught handling, measured body control and supple ride quality, so my desire was to stick with factory spec. However, sourcing S705A M Sport II suspension components in 2026 is a sorry mix of expense, unavailability and vague back-order promises. BMW wanted £547 for a single front control arm, and only had one S705A rear spring in the country (obviously I needed two).

Hardware was well past its shelf life

After lurking on E39 forums, Reddit groups and Facebook pages it seemed the common answer is Bilstein B8 dampers with Eibach Pro-Kit dampers – a solution sold for many other models as a single ‘B12’ kit. Combined, this solution closely mirrors the factory M-Sport setup.

Knowing the rear end was a more involved job, I focused on that first. Turret access requires the rear seats, C-pillar trim and parcel shelf to be removed – which I could do myself – but extracting the rear wheel carrier ball-joints and pressing in new ones was definitely beyond my capabilities. I sent XLA to BMW specialist Autobarn, with springs, dampers and OEM Lemforder arms and bushings.

While the car was away I re-dyed the parcel shelf from its sun-bleached bright purple back to factory black using diluted Fabricoat. I also rejuvinated the bench seat leather using Furniture Clinic Ultra Clean and Revive, and reglued the C-pillar trim using Trim Fix high-temp adhesive. Small but highly satisfying jobs.

I collected the E39 a couple of days later. Its tail-up stance was amusing and the rear ride stiffness a little alarming, but after 100 miles or so both settled nicely. The rear now feels beautifully planted – now the front end refresh, and resuming the chase of that blasted ABS error…

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[ MONTH IN CARS ] Events

Cars with big-name histories emerge onto the classic stage at Members’ Meeting

Cars originally raced by the likes of Maurice Trintignant, Sir Henry Segrave and even Hollywood actors made their historic-motorsport debuts at this year’s Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Perhaps noting the success of MSV’s Super Touring Power events, special races, demonstrations and displays highlighted the British Touring Car Championship’s Nineties pinnacle, with period drivers reunited with their brightly liveried cars more than 30 years later.

Ferrari 250 Monza

Ex-Trintignant 250 Monza wore incredible patina

This ex-works Ferrari, winner of the 1954 Hyères 12 Hours, was making its British racing debut, despite being in remarkably unrestored condition. ‘It’s been in my family since the late Seventies, when my father, who’d also raced it when it was new, bought it from a collector,’ said Alexander van der Lof of his father Dries, who was also the Netherlands’ first-ever Formula One driver, with HWM in 1952.

‘It was a Ferrari factory team car in 1954, and its main driver was Maurice Trintignant,’ said Alexander. Partnered with Luigi Piotti, Trintignant took the new 250 Monza to victory at the Circuit du Var, ahead of Francois Picard and Charles Pozzi in another Ferrari, a 500 Mondial. The Hyères 12 Hours proved deeply attritional, with just half the entered cars finishing. It was the only race Trintignant completed in the 250 Monza, but it was a successful year for him. Trintignant won the RAC TT and the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1954, as well as finishing fourth in the F1 World Championship with podium finishes at Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring.

‘After Hyères it was sold to Dutch racer and team owner Hans Tak,’ Alexander explained. ‘My father drove it for him in at Zandvoort in 1955, but by the Seventies it was in a private Ferrari collection, where my father tracked it down again. When he bought it in 1978, he rebuilt the engine because it hadn’t moved for some time. It’s never actually been restored – it’s effectively completely original. This is my first time driving it, and it will receive a full mechanical rebuild ahead of the Revival.’

Sunbeam GP

Sunbeam was Segrave’s Brooklands winner

‘This car has been lying low in a private collection for a long time, until the “two Geoffs” – Geoff Scott-Coomber and Geoff Squirrell – got to work on it,’ said Eddie Williams of the 1921 Sunbeam GP originally driven by Sir Henry Segrave. ‘They’ve only just made it roadworthy again.’

The Sunbeam failed to finish its first event, the 1921 French Grand Prix; but American Ora Haibe took it to a fifth-place finish at that year’s Indianapolis 500, setting an average speed of 83.86mph. It was the only non-US car to finish.

Segrave took its reins for the Brooklands 250 and gave the car its first victory, winning with an average speed of 94.64mph. The following year, Segrave also set the fastest lap on the Isle of Man TT – a separate time-trial was held for cars as well as motorcycles on the course back then – although he failed to finish the race.

At the time, Sunbeam was the only British car manufacturer to commit to international racing, amalgamated with Talbot and Darracq. This GP was one of five built in Sunbeam’s Wolverhampton experimental department, using a lightweight aluminium body with a pointed tail for high-speed stability at Indianapolis. Of the five built, this is one of just two left unmodified since 1922. Of the others, one was dismantled, another reworked for Indianapolis where it still resides, and a further example was reworked by Malcolm Campbell to become the first ‘Blue Bird.’

AMC AMX

Movie-star AMC raced first time since 1979

‘The last time this car was seen in public was when it finished second in its class at the 1979 Nürburgring 24 Hours with Amos Johnson, Dennis Shaw, and James Brolin – the actor, who made a documentary film about it at the time,’ said MDV Specialist Engineer’s Jake Newman of the AMC AMX he’s just restored.

Part of a two-car team funded by BF Goodrich – which drew attention to the fact that these Group 1 cars were running on its road tyres – the cars managed respectable mid-grid finishes, holding off works-backed Mazda RX-7s, although it remained a long way off the pace of the more developed works Fords. But Brolin’s presence and the publicity he brought gave the team somewhat of a ‘plucky underdog’ status that got the crowd on-side.

‘It only did that one race,’ said Newman. ‘Afterwards, the class-winning car – driven by Gary Witzenburg, Lyn St James and Jim Downing – went back to America. BF Goodrich only had the budget to keep running one of the two cars, so this one was just left in a garage in Germany and sadly never raced again.

‘It’s been restored, back to a bare ’shell, but because there was only 24 hours’ worth of wear on the components, were were able to reuse most of its original parts. Things like the engine, gearbox and suspension only needed a straightforward stripdown and rebuild.’

Volvo 850

Rydell Volvo was only ’96-built BTCC 850

‘This car was last touched about 20 years ago,’ said ROFGO’s Johnny Westbrook of this iconic 1996 Super Touring Volvo. ‘Just one racing Volvo 850 was built in 1996 – this one – out of bits left over from the 1995 BTCC season, whereas the other two from that Championship had previously been used in 1995.

‘This was Rickard Rydell’s car in 1996,’ said Westbrook. Rydell was victorious in races at Oulton Park, Knockhill, Thruxton and Donington Park that year, finishing third in the Championship, but the season was dominated by Frank Biela’s later-banned Audi A4 Sport Quattro, and the Williams F1-engineered Renault Laguna of Alain Menu.

‘It was mothballed throughout 1997 because Volvo switched to racing the new S40, but right at the end of 1997 this car was sent to Australia to race in the Bathurst 1000.’ Partnered with Jim Richards, Rydell finished fourth behind a Brabham-crewed BMW 320i and a pair of A4 Sport Quattros, the second-placed car driven by his BTCC nemesis Biela.

‘It’s unrestored – the interior still has holes in it for the mountings for Network 7’s TV cameras, and it’s still fitted with its Bathurst transponder,’ said Westbrook. ‘After that one race in Australia, it went to Sweden with Gregor Peterson, who did track days in it, but it last ran in anger in 2001.’

BMW 320i

Winkelhock BMW survived infamous Macau crash

‘It’s the first time this car has been to the UK since it was raced by Joachim Winkelhock in the 1996 BTCC,’ said owner Peter Ulrich of his white BMW 320i Super Tourer.

Winkelhock, 1993 BTCC Champion, was another to find himself struggling against the four-wheel drive Audis, although he did manage wins in the car at Brands Hatch, Thruxton, Oulton Park and Snetterton, finishing fifth overall in the 1996 Championship.

‘After the BTCC season ended, it went to Macau for the Guia Race, where Winkelhock crashed it into Biela’s Audi on the second lap!’ Winkelhock qualified on pole, but the incident forced the BMW into retirement. Frustratingly for Winkelhock, Biela’s A4 remained relatively undamaged and went on to finish second behind Winkelhock’s teammate Steve Soper.

‘Around 1997-98, it was stripped down and sent to BMW Team Isert as a rolling chassis, before being bought by Gianluca de Lorenzi, who then raced it in the 2001 European Touring Car Championship.’

De Lorenzi managed 14 Amateur-class podium finishes en route to second in class, including works-team-beating overall third-places at Magny-Cours and Jarama. A series of Eastern European drivers raced it in local championships from 2002-06, before Ulrich bought it and restored it to its 1996 specification.

Tecno TF/66

Brambilla wanted to restore his old Tecno

Newly restored by Jim Stokes, this Formula Three car was racing for the first time since 1975, in the Derek Bell Trophy for one-litre F3 cars, also known as the ‘screamer era’ for their hard-worked engines’ high-revving noise.

‘It was Tino Brambilla’s car, chassis T00224,’ said F3 expert Duncan Rabagliatti. ‘Brambilla drove it in the 1967 Italian F3 Championship, finishing seventh in the Campagnano di Roma, and first at Vallelunga before moving on to race for Birelcar for 1968.

‘He sold it to Giuseppe Bianchi, who contested Italian F3 in it from 1968 to 1970, with a best finish of fifth at Monza in 1969. It then went to Luigi Fontana from 1971, who fitted an updraught engine in an attempt to remain competitive into the Seventies, but the attempt didn’t work. In the end, he sold it back to Brambilla, who always intended to restore it back to how it was when he first raced it, but never got around to it.’ Brambilla died in 2020, having kept the car in storage for 45 years.

Brabham BT28-33

Brabham once secured Nations Cup for Sweden

This championship-winning F3 car was racing in the UK again for the first time since 1970. Bought new by Picko Troberg Racing as part of a twocar team in 1970, it was driven by Torsten Palm – younger brother of championshipwinning co-driver Gunnar – in that year’s Swedish F3 Championship, as well as selected European Championship races. In its sole British appearance – the Nations Cup at Thruxton – Palm finished third, helping to secure the Cup for Sweden along with Gustaf Dieden and Ulf Svensson. Although the overall winner of the race was Gerry Birrell, the Swedish drivers’ points haul was highest, securing the Cup.

Palm went on to set the lap record at Karlskoga during a 1973 F2 race, and ultimately reached Formula One with Hesketh, with a best finish of tenth at Anderstorp in 1975.

The car was restored to its Nations Cup-winning appearance in 2022, complete with Mennen/Yellow Pages livery, and was reunited with Palm himself at Karlskoga.

Renault 19 16v

Harvey’s 19 won alongside Senna

This unlikely BTCC hero made a low-key Goodwood debut as part of a static display in the Super Touring paddock area.

The second of four Renault 19 16v Super Tourers built in 1993, it marked a shaky start for Renault in the BTCC. When Tim Harvey went to test a prototype in France, he discovered that the Jean Ragnotti-engineered saloon was essentially a rally machine lightly reworked for circuit racing – complete with handbrake. As a consequence, the resulting 1993 BTCC cars ended up being completely rebuilt by GB Motorsport for Renault Dealer Racing.

Harvey later branded the 19 ‘the worst car I ever drove’, although it delivered one of his most memorable race wins.

In torrential rain at Donington Park, Harvey and his teammate, Alain Menu from Switzerland, eased past BMW pole-sitter Steve Soper to take a one-two finish in front of a huge crowd – the race supported the infamous 1993 European Grand Prix, the only time the Formula One World Championship came to Donington, and which saw Ayrton Senna overtake four drivers on the opening lap in heavy rain.

Sadly, these heroic antics weren’t to be repeated. Harvey managed a third place at the end of the season, once again during a round at Donington, which followed a series of disappointing retirements.

The car was subsequently used as a parts donor for independent driver Nigel Alban in 1994. Restorer MCT Engineering – which made many of its parts when it was new – discovered the car at a Renault specialist in Nottingham in 2015, and after a long search for parts, restoration was finally completed in 2022.

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[ Epic Restoration ]

When the owner of this Ford Capri GL died halfway through its restoration, it looked like the project was doomed. But rather than give up, specialist Steve Mangham saw the build though to construct a car his friend would be proud of

Words & Photography DAN SHERWOOD

To be honest, neither myself, nor even the car’s owner, had any idea what was going to roll into the yard that morning,’ chuckles Steve Mangham, recalling the first time he set eyes on this now immaculately restored Venetian Red Ford Capri MkII parked before us. ‘We knew it was a very original example but, because it had been bought blind over the internet, there was no way of accurately assessing its condition until it arrived. When it did, it was immediately obvious this was going to be a complete nut-and-bolt restoration job.’

As the owner of Doncaster-based Ford restoration specialist, S M Restorations, Steve is a seasoned veteran when it comes to resurrecting even the most battered of Blue Oval-badged machinery, with more than a passing penchant for those of the Capri variety. In fact, there have been very few projects over the years that he hasn’t been able to bring back from the dead.

Rolling on temporary wheels, what came off the trailer was hardly a car at all, more of a basic ’shell. The engine was missing, as were the transmission and brakes. It had no glass, lights, electrics, or interior, just the tatty, but crucially original, Roman Bronze paintwork that seemed to be holding the corroded metalwork in a vaguely Capri-like shape.

‘Much like me, the car’s owner Chris Taylor was no stranger to the process, having had numerous cars restored in the past, so he was confident that I could work with what we were presented with,’ Steve says. ‘In fact, when the car arrived, I had another Capri in the workshop that I was restoring for him.’

Chris and Steve first met around 12 years ago, initially speaking through online forums, but later, in real life, at various Ford shows, the pair quickly bonding over their mutual love for the swoopy Blue Oval coupé. ‘We were best mates,’ says Steve. ‘So, when, in spring 2021, Chris asked me to restore a Capri for him, I had no hesitation in saying yes.’

Chris had started his Capri collection with an early MkI model and planned to bookend the range with a late 280 Brooklands – the other car Steve was working on – but he had always dreamed of owning a Venetian Red MkII GL, the exact model from his childhood. ‘Chris had searched everywhere for a Venetian Red GL but couldn’t find one. In the end, he had to settle for the 1975 Roman Bronze bodyshell and simply respray it.’ Steve says.

Low point

‘When Chris passed away there was a certain realisation that the car may never be finished and it would be sold on as an unrealised project.’

Steve Mangham

Stripdown

Once the ’shell was maneuvered into the workshop, it was mounted on a custom chassis jig, so Steve could get a better look at what he was working with and start the stripdown. ‘It was in a terrible state. The whole car was suffering from severe corrosion, especially the floorpan and the bottom half of the bodywork. It was only really the roof that was free from rot, which is common because moisture always sits at the lowest points.’

With little parts needing to be removed, it was a simple case of unbolting the front crossmember and suspension legs and disconnecting the rear axle and leaf springs to get the car back to a basic bodyshell. ‘When dealing with heavily corroded ’shells like this, you always come up against stubborn bolts that have rusted in place,’ Steve says. ‘On the Capri it was all four of the crossmember bolts that refused to budge.’ After a series of heat cycles with a blow torch to try and free them, resulting in one of them snapping before it released, Steve was left with no choice but to drill them out to affect the release of the crossmember. Once everything was removed, the parts were boxed up and sent to Chris to be kept for spares, because Steve planned to replace them all with new old stock items rather than reuse them.

Once back from soda blasting, extent of work very obvious

The stripped bodyshell was sent for soda blasting by Philip Robinson at Sodatec In Halifax. ‘We prefer to use a soda blasting process rather than acid dipping because it’s a non-corrosive procedure that’s much easier to work with and has fewer potential drawbacks,’ Steve explains. ‘When a bodyshell is dipped, the acid gets into every area, including box sections, seams, chassis rails and double-skinned areas. This means it can be very difficult to ensure it has been completely flushed out and neutralised, causing its own rust issues to develop later on. It can also dissolve factory seam sealer – which can be very difficult to reapply in many hard-to-reach areas – weaken thin metal panels and needs immediate e-coating to prevent the onset of surface corrosion.’ Like shot or sand blasting, soda blasting offers a non-corrosive solution and works by firing a substrate of sodium bicarbonate onto the metalwork, effectively stripping paint and blasting away areas of corrosion. It works in a much less aggressive way than the other two methods, which, if you’re not careful, can stretch and warp panels because of heat build-up.

‘When the ’shell returned from blasting, I was actually quite shocked at just how bad it was,’ Steve remembers. ‘The rust had penetrated deep into the bodywork and the deeper we delved the more issues we found. There really wasn’t much left.’

Although concentrated at the lower levels, there was evidence of rot on almost every single panel. Both rear wheelarches had dissolved, patched repairs to the sills were uncovered, and there was extensive damage at base of the A-pillars and along the top of the rear quarters – the nearside was particularly bad with numerous holes along the swage line. The scuttle panel, bulkhead and battery tray were also corroded beyond repair and both driver and passenger footwells had holes the size of Steve’s head. ‘It was definitely more than I’d bargained for, but nothing I hadn’t encountered numerous times before.’

Bodywork

As expected from his initial assessment, it was only the roof skin, the bulkhead and the front inner wings that were deemed suitable for reuse, with the rest of the body requiring reconstruction using genuine Ford new old stock parts.

‘We sourced a lot of the genuine Ford panels from Cologne in Germany, because this is where the Capri was assembled from 1970 and there are still parts shops that hold stock for them over there,’ Steve says. ‘Any panels we couldn’t get as genuine OEM items we bought from Ex-Pressed Steel Panels in Keighley, the leading suppliers of new blueprinted panels in the UK.’

With the new panels ready and waiting, Steve began the labour-intensive process of removing the damaged ones by drilling out the original spot welds. ‘We try to replace the panels whole where possible and limit the use of patching sections,’ Steve explains. ‘This produces the very best result not only in terms of the final aesthetic, but also for structural strength and future corrosion resistance.’

Bottom half of body suffered most corrosion

When it comes to his choice of welding apparatus, Steve uses whichever is most suited to the job in hand. ‘I tend to use metal inert gas (MIG) welding on areas that are out of sight or require excellent structural strength such as floorpans, chassis rails and sills,’ he says. ‘It’s a fast and efficient system that provides concentrated heat for superior penetration of the panels but is less precise than tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding. The bulkier joins with

MIG welding are also not as visually appealing. For this reason, if the welds are in a places where they will be seen, such as a stainless-steel exhaust system, or require lower heat because they’re made from thinner metal, then TIG is ideal, even if it’s more time consuming and requires greater skill to complete.’ Steve is keen to point out that, to retain maximum originality, he tries to replicate the welds how they were carried out from the factory, although there are also known weak spots he will strengthen with additional welding to ensure a stronger result.

More than 200 hours of welding needed to repair bodywork inadequacies

‘With the ’shell mounted securely on the jig, panels can be removed without altering the car’s dimensions,’ Steve says. ‘This is crucial to ensuring everything remains square and is double-checked at regular intervals by comparing dimensions and structural positions to a digital data sheet, which lists all the measurements as they should be from the factory.’

This belt and braces approach not only safeguards critical measurements for items such as suspension pick-up points, door shuts and engine mounts, but also means the car’s finished panel gaps remain consistent across the bodyshell.

Almost every body panel damaged; Ford in Cologne was a source of new parts

Starting with the new inner wing panels and front footwell sections, panel by panel, the Capri’s perforated body was replaced with new parts, welded into place before being coated in Novel zinc etch primer. ‘When working with fresh metal, we have to coat the new panels in etch primer to stop the onset of corrosion prior to the cars going to the paint shop,’ Steve says. ‘This is then stripped off before epoxy primer is applied to seal and protect the metal.’

In total, in excess of 200 hours of welding went into making the tired Capri’s bodywork structurally sound and straight once again, and when complete, the whole car was given a coat of etch primer before being sent to Sandall Car Care in Doncaster for painting.

Novol paint system chosen for period correct colours and finishes

Paint

Because the Capri was mostly brand-new panels at this point, it meant there was minimal preparation needed to achieve a good finish with the final topcoat. ‘After carefully removing the etch primer with a DA sander, the body shop sprayed the ’shell in an epoxy primer,’ Steve says. ‘This seals in any raw metal, stopping oxidisation and corrosion, and providing a base for the high-build primer to be applied to. This is a thicker layer that can be block-sanded to achieve a perfectly smooth finish before the Venetian Red topcoat and three coats of clear lacquer are added.’

Venetian Red topcoat follows epoxy and high-build primer paint layers

Sandall Car Care use the Novol paint system, specifically formulated for classic vehicle restoration. ‘The secret to getting that deep gloss and correct colour tone is selecting the right paint materials and getting a professional to work their magic,’ Steve says. ‘In our opinion, the Novol range is one of the best, with an excellent range of period correct colours and finishes.’

Steve opted to extend the high-gloss paintwork to the engine bay and underside of the car, so these look just as good as the outer bodywork. The topcoat was machine-polished for around eight hours to give it that glass-like shine, a finish that was protected and enhanced with an application of ceramic coating.

Topcoat and three coats of lacquer, machine polished for eight hours

‘This adds a hard sacrificial layer to the paintwork that, while invisible, adds extra depth, clarity and hydrophobicity to ensure the bodywork looks its best for as long as possible,’ Steve explains. ‘It also makes cleaning easier and can also protect the finish from environmental contaminants and minor abrasions.’

Venetian Red Capri couldn’t be found; car chosen was originally Roman Bronze

Engine

‘When the Capri arrived, the engine was missing, so we sourced a new old stock crate unit from Germany,’ Steve recalls. ‘Although it was essentially brand new, it hadn’t run for over 30 years while it languished on a shelf, so we sent it to Jamie Bryant at JB Racing in Radstock, near Bath, to be rebuilt with new gaskets and seals so it was as fresh as the day it was assembled.’

NOS crate unit sourced from Germany

While there, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Pinto engine received a new camshaft with a slightly more aggressive profile to add some extra power, while the cylinder head was ported and polished to maximise air flow. ‘To improve reliability, we ditched the old points and condenser ignition system and upgraded to a electronic setup supplied by H&H Ignition Solutions,’ Steve says.

The refreshed engine was then mated to a rare four-speed rod-change gearbox with external linkage Steve bought secondhand from an online Capri forum. This was only used for around a year into the MkII Capri producton run and matched the car’s original transmission. Just like the motor, it was sent to JB Racing, where it was rebuilt with a new bearing kit, with the casing cleaned and powdercoated to return it to an as-new look.

New cam, ported and polished ’head and electronic ignition add power and reliability

Engine and transmission in place, Steve could begin the reassembly of the car’s undercarriage. This was completed with brand-new items supplied by Dartford-based Capri specialist Tickover. ‘Everything from the springs and dampers, brakes, brake and fuel lines, suspension arms, bushes and steering rack, came from Tickover. It was then a case of bolting them on with new fasteners.’

Drivetrain ancillaries sourced new from specialist Tickover

Project parts were a mix of secondhand and brand new

Tragic news

‘However, shortly after completing the undercarriage, I had the shock phone call that Chris had passed away suddenly from a heart attack,’ Steve says solemnly. Devastated about the news of his best friend, Steve couldn’t face working on the Capri and simply stored the semi-completed ’shell out of sight in his lockup while he came to terms with the situation and worked through his grief. ‘I just couldn’t look at it. It was just too painful,’ he remembers.

It wasn’t until around a year later Steve could finally bring himself to get back to the project, because it felt sacrilegious to leave the car unfinished. But now, the project would serve to honour the memory of his friend, a car Chris would’ve been truly proud of.

Interior

Looks good now, but floorpan one of project’s rustiest areas

With no interior parts to reuse from the donor car, Steve looked online to find the items he needed. After an extensive search, he found a secondhand interior on eBay including seats and trim panels that matched the original and came from another 2.0-litre GL residing in a Somerset breaker’s yard. ‘It was in pretty good condition,’ Steve remembers. ‘The foam bases and bolsters of the seats were still intact, and the steel frames were solid; it was only the exterior fabric which had seen better days.’

Secondhand seats retrimmed in period-correct vinyl and fabric

This was of little consequence because Steve planned to have the seats fully retrimmed, by upholstery specialist Cherry Upholstery in Sheffield. ‘Both front and rear seats were trimmed in period-correct black vinyl with Beta cloth fabric centres,’ Steve says. ‘This complemented the original black vinyl trim on the door and rear quarter cards as well as the dashboard, which was sourced from new old stock, with an original steering wheel.’

Dash and steering wheel sourced from new old stock

The dashboard was in particularly good condition, with the original imitation walnut trim panel that can sometimes warp or split remaining perfectly flat and crack-free. ‘This is the benefit of being able to work with new old stock parts rather than having to rely on secondhand parts or reproduction items,’ Steve says. ‘Essentially the parts are brand new, having never been fitted to a car before, so show none of the signs of wear you get from used parts. They also fit exactly they should, which is not something you can say for all reproduction parts.’ A brand-new black carpet from Aldridge Trimming in Wolverhampton finished off the interior revamp along with a new headlining.

High point

‘Being able to create a car from the vision Chris had in his head and get it absolutely 100 percent correct’

Steve Mangham

Steve Mangham (left) finished the Capri as a tribute to his friend Chris, the original owner

Exterior flourishes

‘Probably the hardest part of the build was the roof,’ Steve says. ‘The structure itself was fine, but finding the correct style of black exterior roof vinyl proved to be an issue, because the original is no longer in production.’ After searching the UK for a suitable substitute, Steve was forced to widen his horizons and stumbled upon a supplier from Belgium, that had one that was extremely similar in colour and texture. ‘I’d say it was around 98 percent accurate,’ Steve laughs. ‘We bought an extra-large roll of it to ensure we have some left over for future projects too!

Vinyl roof trimming the hardest part of the project

The roof trimming – also handled by Cherry Upholstery – was a big issue in itself. ‘The vinyl roof trim comes pre-shaped and pre-stitched and is attached to the roof with glue and fasteners along the gutter rail’, Steve explains. ‘It’s a very tricky job, so I left it to the upholsterer to do, because it’s both very time-consuming and difficult to get right. Basically, you have to run a line down the centre of the car and take a lot of measurements before carefully positioning the fabric to get it to line up correctly, before making the final trimming to suit and carefully glueing with upholstery glue. This is a special glue that works like an impact adhesive which grabs fast and leaves absolutely no room for error, so you have to ensure you get it all right first-time.

‘Once in position, you have to stretch and smooth out any bubbles with heat to help activate the glue and make the vinyl more pliable. You need to be very careful not to overstretch the fabric, which can cause the vinyl to tear or distort the texture.

Steve sourced hard-to-find vinyl from Belgium

With the roof complete, all that was left was to do was fit the remaining exterior trim pieces, lights and wheels, all of which were sourced from new old stock. ‘It was exciting to finally see the car on the home straight,’ Steve says with a smile. ‘But you can’t rush it. A silly mistake at this stage can easily scratch the paintwork or damage a panel or trim piece, adding weeks and huge cost to the project, so you have to concentrate and protect any potential risk areas with masking tape or rubber matting.’

The period-correct 6.5x13in Rostyle wheels came from new old stock but the paint finish was looking lacklustre, so Steve repainted them in their original colour scheme of satin silver and black before wrapping them in fresh Goodyear rubber.

‘It was just an amazing feeling to finally see the car complete,’ Steve remembers. ‘It was just such a shame that Chris wasn’t around to see how it came out. But I’m really sure he’d be over the moon with it, just as I am.’

After pouring his heart and soul into this restoration over the past four years, this 1975 Venetian Red Capri has now become part of Steve’s own private collection, where it will be revered, not just as a successful client commission, but as a rolling, gleaming tribute to his best friend.

MY FAVOURITE TOOL

‘My panel hammer. I’ve had it since I was 16 years old and I use it daily when repairing bodywork. It’s weird, but no other hammer feels quite the same.

‘I’m sure other people in the trade would agree; you just get used to the weight and the swing of it, and just how it works in certain areas. I used it on this restoration when fabricating the Capri’s bodywork and I can’t see it ever being replaced.’

Epic Restoration of the Year

This MkII Ford Capri GL is one of 12 Epic Restorations you’ll be able to vote for in 2027, with the chance for you to win fabulous prizes of premium workshop gear from Machine Mart, including this *Clarke CBB209C HD Plus 29in red and silver nine-drawer tool chest. classiccarsmagazine.co.uk/EpicRestoOfTheYear. T&Cs apply.

*Prizes subject to change. They will be confirmed by the May 2027 issue.

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Inside the August issue, we celebrate classic grand touring and our expert panel names the 50 greatest GTs from the Fifties to the Nineties – as well as the greatest GT of all. And if you feel inspired to take your classic on a grand trip of your own, Nigel Boothman selects his top 10 to tempt you, while Sam Dawson tries the Loxley 500 Tour in an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante.

We find out how a rotten Ford Capri GL has been restored in memory of its owner, drive an Alvis TA14 woodie that has been recused by the apprentice who originally worked on it, and a Jaguar-aspiring reader experiences a Daimler V8.

All that, plus columnists Julian Thomson and Alex Riley, market news, event highlights, the highs and lows of owning our classics, cars for sale tested and a Mercedes-Benz W124 buying guide make your latest issue unmissable.

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[ THE INSIDERS ]

The path to my dream job was littered with reality-check moments, but also some amazing experiences that would pour more fuel on my passion to succeed

Julian Thomson’s design career spans Ford, Lotus, VW, Jaguar and GM, while in the background he’s owned a string of interesting cars, from an Alfasud Ti to a Dino 246

Throughout my decades designing cars, when talking over my plans for the future, my mother kept asking, ‘When are you going to get a proper job?’ This continued, even as my career path crystallised, designing for marques like Ford, Lotus, and Volkswagen. My mother could not conceive of this as real work. Surely ‘colouring in cars’ was just my childhood hobby? No one actually gets paid to do such a trivial task?

Many years later, I’m still ‘colouring in’ and have never had a ‘proper job’. Truth be told, I was reluctant to start work unless it involved designing cars. Where could I find a first job appropriate for the next Giugiaro? From when I was a schoolboy I knew that to be a car designer I had to go to the Royal College of Art. This, unfortunately, was a postgraduate course and to get to this hallowed establishment I’d have to study something called mechanical engineering for three years.

Six months into the course, I learned this was a sandwich course requiring 48 weeks’ work experience. I hit the back pages of Autosport. Down the road was turbo pioneer Mathwall Engineering. It had nothing available, but put me onto a nearby garage that might help. I landed on my feet. My first-ever paid job, age 18, was to be working on… Ferraris! Rardley Motors was an independent Ferrari specialist set up by historic racer and Ferrari collector Dudley Mason-Styron, and what a place it was, overflowing with Italian exotica, crammed into its modest workshop.

My first task was not the most appealing, and probably served to put me in my place. That morning kept me flat on my back, removing the exhaust manifolds on a Ferrari Boxer. Twelve heavily soiled pipes facing the ground, held in place by 24 10mm bolts. I got so filthy that when I went to the local pie shop for lunch, the lady behind the counter said, ‘Poor love, it must be horrible shifting coal in this weather.’ Induction day wasn’t turning out as glamorous as I’d imagined.

‘I watched, awestruck, as Peter skilfully piloted the 250GTO through the South Downs’

Apart from the odd moment cleaning yet another gearbox casing or trips to the old sump oil tank, the routine was broken up with moments of pure gold. Every time manager Peter Raven went out for a test run, I’d pester for a ride. We thought one of our customers was mad paying £125,000 for a 250GTO but I clearly remember it was something extraordinary, its singular purpose clothed in an elegant, timeless body.

I watched, awestruck, as Peter skilfully piloted the GTO through the South Downs. The noise building to a crescendo with every up change, click-clacking though the gated ’box, the mechanical feel and how every single movement felt so visceral and evocative.

That ride was one of many burned into my memory – the startled faces on a group of nuns in a Bedford bus as we overtook it, straight racing pipes booming on an ex-Le Mans Ferrari Daytona; splashing through a ford of water in Wagoners Wells, scrabbling for grip in a Lancia Stratos. There were cars I missed – Miuras, Boxers, and Maseratis test-driven on my days off, but that only continued to fuel my passion for these Italian masterpieces.

Long after I left Rardley, I continued to return to that fantastic place. Dudley and his wife Sally always welcomed me warmly, or we’d bump into each other at Goodwood or on the Mille Miglia. Forty-odd years later, I have to admit to Mum it looks unlikely that I’ll ever have a ‘proper job’.

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[ CHASING CARS ] Nigel Boothman’s market analysis

Competition classics and modern supercars win Historic race for the biggest bids

Fetching €862,500, ex-Hannu Mikkola, Rally Portugal-winning Audi Quattro proved provenance helps results

The Monaco Historic GP weekend of 25-26 April drew RM Sotheby’s and Bonhams and produced strong results. It was impossible to ignore the surge in values for the more track-focussed versions of 21st-century Ferrari products, far in excess of their prices new: €702,500 (£522,800) for a 2015 458 Speciale, and a huge €1.2m for the open-topped Speciale A. The halo cars continued to drop jaws: €6.5m for a 2004 Enzo, €5.2m for a 2018 FXX-K Evo, €5m for a 2014 LaFerrari, €4.3m for a 1989 F40. Nonetheless, everything else was put in the shade by the spectacular (and on-estimate) €16.7m paid for a 1961 250GT SWB California Spider.

Competition cars did well, too. At RMS, the 1984 Toleman TG183 driven by Senna on his F1 debut took €2.3m while the ex-Gilles Villeneuve/Carlos Reutemann 1978 Ferrari 312 fetched €4.3m. At Bonhams, some of the best results were from the golden age of DTM, with €391k paid for a 1990 AMG-Mercedes 190E 2.5-16 Evo II, €483k for a 1992 BMW E30 M3 Competition and a magnificent €552k for a 1995 Alfa Romeo 155 V6 Competition. Hannu Mikkola’s 1983 Rally Portugal-winning Audi Quattro works made an amazing €862,500, showing the potential of Group B icons paired with a genuine history – a similar car with only national Belgian rally success took €339,250.

Everyday humble pies went down well at ACA

One trend emerged from Anglia Car Auctions’ spring sale on 11 and 12 April: everyday classics are having a moment in the sun. With the ever-growing popularity of events like the Festival of the Unexceptional and Rustival, it’s never been cooler to own something that was once not merely ignored by the classic car scene but actively sneered at. A number of such cars broke their well-judged estimates among some enthusiastic bidding.

A gold 1979 Austin Allegro 1500 SDL estate made £5076 on a £2500-£3500 guide; a 1988 Fiat 126 BIS defied its No Reserve status to make £4860, a 1987 Citroën 2CV Dolly sold for £8964 on a top estimate of £6000 and a bronze paint, brown vinyl 1977 Leyland Princess 1800HL slipped past its £3000-£5000 guide to hit £5400. Plain Jane classic Fords did well too: a one-owner 1991 Orion Ghia (est £2.5k-£3.5k) did £4320 and a 1989 Escort 1.6 Cabriolet (£7000-£9000) rose to £10,584.

Treat on a Budget – 1935 Riley 12/4 Falcon, £3900

Seeing Thirties saloons go through auction sales in running order for well under £5000 isn’t uncommon now, but this Riley stood out at H&H Classics’ sale at Buxton on 29 April. Even with a relatively sensible four-light Falcon body, a twin-cam Riley still has kudos that a side-valve Austin or Ford can’t approach. This one wasn’t quite a jump-in-and-go example, having been unused for the last couple of years, but it was in the zone of recommissioning rather than restoration. Though it would benefit from a boot floor…

Nonetheless, the 1496cc 12/4 engine should give 55mph cruising rather than the 40mph you might settle for with the usual 10hp-class options available at this price. On the tatty side of original, the car’s interior featured seat squabs with a saggy look, but there was a reassuring six decades of history in the folder. With a pre-selector gearbox, the Riley is easy to drive for those new to pre-war classic cars.

Market indicators

Well-bought Sixties Brits, a non-conformist, ex-royal Eighties Ferrari, and opposite market end Germans

1986 Ferrari Testarossa, €342,500 (£297k)

RM Sotheby’s, 25 April
There seems to be a bit of a ‘thing’ for Testarossas in colours other than red, perhaps because the second half of the Eighties and early Nineties were peak Rosso for Ferraris – finding anything else can be tough. However, there was more to this one that just Nero paint, as its first owner was Princess Caroline of Monaco. That, plus the desirable single-mirror specification put it well over twice our top Price Guide figure.

1968 Triumph TR250, £29,250

H&H, 29 April
It’s tricky to know what to make of this. It looked an excellent example of an uncommon car, but one that’s less desirable than the fuel-injected home-market TR5. So, it’s a little down on mint condition money for a TR5, being an lhd to rhd conversion and with SU carbs (the Strombergs have been banished) but it’s a great colour and probably less trouble to own. Well bought, but also well sold? I think so.

1968 MGC GT, £7702

Brightwells, 13 May
An MGC for MGB money. Try as I might, I couldn’t really find a catch with this one. It showed just 68,687 miles which may well be genuine, it isn’t crippled by an automatic gearbox, it has its original engine – not that it matters much in MG circles – and a Britax sunroof, and it’s been with its last owner for 20 years. It even looks better than a ‘B’ thanks to the inch-larger wire wheels. A really splendid buy.

1965 Porsche 912, $142,800 (£106k)

Broad Arrow, 25 April
This was a chunky result for a 912 – roughly twice our top Price Guide number. Yes, it was a first-year car with an unusual specification, but there was no celebrity ownership or unrepeatable survivor status, just a lovely restoration. In America, then, the classic Porsche market still pays well for the very best. Another nice 912 but with a non-original engine made half this sum in the same sale.

2007 Audi R8, £21,451

Brightwells, 13 May
Cheaper than the cheapest one on Auto Trader, and nearly £10k less than the next-cheapest manual example I could find. Why? Perhaps it was lost among an older classics at Brightwells, or the 105,220 on the odometer put people off, but if anyone can build a supercar to take a six-figure mileage in its stride, it’s Audi. Good history, but it needed a service. Are R8s about to reach bargain status?

PRICE GUIDE MOVERS

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[ Loxley Collection 500 Tour ]

Think going on a grand tour means hurtling across Europe? A new concept in classic touring proves otherwise. We try out the Loxley 500 in an Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante to find out

Words SAM DAWSON Photography JONATHAN JACOB

I wake up to the distant sound of North Sea breakers crashing against the rocky outcrops of Robin Hood’s Bay, just south of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast. From my room in the top of a turret in the Victoria, a classical 19th century railway hotel, there’s a stunning panoramic view taking in the labyrinthine Georgian fishing town below, its car-free roads and preserved buildings freezing it in time about 300 years ago.

There’s something equally alluring in the car park overlooking the bay too. Although it wears Touring of Milan and Superleggera badges, and looks superficially like a DB5 from the front, the Aston Martin DB6 was evolved by science rather than Italian stylists. That cleaned-up shape with its rear Kamm-tail came via the DP212 and 214 racing cars of 1962-1964. It’s often said it lacks elegance compared to its predecessors, but getting rid of the tailfins and replacing the big chrome bumpers and overriders with quarter bumperettes makes it clearly a product of the Sixties rather than a Fifties hangover. In the DB6, you can see hints of the V8s that followed in the Seventies and Eighties.

Grand touring is more swift cruising than rev maxing

It’s under the skin, however, where I’m hoping the DB6’s advancements over the 5 really show on the winding country lanes I’m about to subject it to. Rather than the Superleggera process of an intricate frame made of tiny-gauge steel tubes overlaid with an aluminium skin, the DB6 used angled, folded metal under its bodywork instead, devised to be stiffer, less prone to flexing. A worthwhile concern given that this is a Vantage Volante, the most powerful triple-Weber-carburetted engine option, in a convertible. Scuttle-shake and grand touring don’t go well together, but that’s just my opinion.

After a hearty, locally-sourced breakfast, it’s time to get the roof down and enjoy a cloudless, warm April day. The DB6’s hood may be manual, but it’s easy to respond to the weather with it: flip three chrome catches on the header rail, ease the roof back into its well, then fold the tonneau over it and secure it quickly with a combination of Velcro strips and a short, straight row of press-studs. I’ve actually known one-press powered hardtops that seemed to take longer than that.

Superleggera and straight-six: just the ticket

‘If you don’t like the weather in Britain, wait a while and something different will come along,’ goes the old adage. The same could be said of the landscape. This little island delivers everything from craggy, mountainous terrain, to wide-open plains, ancient villages, glittering metropoli and rolling hills, all within a few hours’ drive of each other.

Forget the cynical assumption that all our roads are clogged-up conveyor belts festooned with speed cameras. Instead, embrace ancient byways, and the gentler pace that a car more than half a century old tends to encourage. Combine these factors, and a coast-to-coast drive from the North Sea to the English Channel becomes as epic as a sojourn to that tiresome classic-car cliché, ‘The South Of France.’

A classic and an open road – it must be a grand tour!

Today, armed with this Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante, I’m driving the first leg of the Loxley Collection 500 UK Roman Road Classic Vehicle Tour. Andrew Long, founder of the Loxley Collection of hotels, is also a keen historian. Surveying ancient maps, he’s found a route of Roman pathways which amount to a kind of alternative, English ‘mother road’ in the Route 66 vein. From the near-mythical Wade’s Causeway and the spectacular Wheeldale in the North York Moors, the route crosses the mighty Humber Bridge towards the ancient city of Lincoln on Ermine Street, before taking in the full length of the Fosse Way. The route spears across rolling countryside through the historic epicentre of the British car industry, Coventry, before entering the everpicturesque Cotswolds.

Stone walls are the best deflector for DB6 engine note

Then another Roman road, Harrow Way – known today as the A303, will spur drivers on from Bath deep into the twisting, narrow, rally-like roads of Cornwall, where this tour ends at the Lizard Peninsula – the southernmost point in England. By this stage, you’ll have gone further into the West Country than the Romans ever managed. They stopped at Isca Dumnoniorum, known today as the city of Exeter.

It’s a seven-day, 500-mile, five-hotel undertaking. But unlike some classic car tours, it’s tailored to your wallet and the appetite of your classic – nominally pre-1976 although pre-2001 cars are accepted subject to organisers’ approval – to pile on the miles. You can take in the whole thing as a massive challenge, or join it for as many individual day sections as you wish. But there are no time controls, books full of tulip diagrams, overly rigid routes or scrutineers poking around your car. It’s most definitely not a rally, it’s a tour. A grand tour.

‘After a hearty breakfast, it’s time to get the roof down and enjoy a warm April day’

And they’re off: Sam and Aston depart Robin Hood’s Bay

The engine fires with a deep, sonorous thrum, idling with a reassuring steadiness. But I’m still feeling apprehensive. The tour route actually begins with one of its most arduous challenges. The climb out of Robin Hood’s Bay on Thorpe Lane is one of the steepest roads you’re likely to encounter anywhere in England. As the Vantage’s Weber-voiced engine note chunners off stone walls built before the very invention of the car, I visualise the road out. In particular, a right-hand hairpin bend stretching upward at Sled Gates that most classics would probably have to negotiate in first gear.

As the Aston begins its ascent, differential whine overtakes induction roar as the predominant sound, reminiscent of a Fifties lorry, bringing the elegant Volante’s ambience back down to Earth. I’m climbing in third gear, but as the hairpin looms, I double-declutch the pleasantly precise, metalled-feeling ZF five-speed gearbox down into second and give the straight-six a bootful of throttle. There’s a squeal of live-axled tyres on gravelly asphalt as it finds grip, but exiting the apex, 290lb ft of torque surges the Volante up the hill. I keep returning my gaze to the temperature gauge, and sniffing the air for signs of clutch wear, but there isn’t any. It’s partly the sheer competence of the DB6 even in a modern context, but also perhaps there’s some logic in starting a classic car tour with the thing that’s most likely to risk them overheating – the engines haven’t yet had quite enough time to warm up, let alone bubble over.

Looks the part, but the engine note is all you need on this trip

Both I and the DB6 take in a lungful of refreshing moorland air as we crest the horizon and emerge onto the A171. This is the first of our Roman routes, and in many ways the most mysterious. The 171 runs parallel to, rather than on, Wade’s Causeway, which is occasionally defined by a rocky ridge in the fields beside the highway. No-one knows its true origins, or even where it properly starts and ends. Although the Romans used it and Roman artefacts were discovered when it was examined by archaeologists back when this Aston was new, it’s believed the Italian invaders were following an ancient Neolithic path. Local mythology has it that the road was built with stones smashed by Wade, giant offspring of prehistoric English king Wilkinus and the Pagan sea-goddess Wachilt; and later worshipped by the Angles as spiritual guardian of seas and causeways.

According to Long, the spirit of the Loxley 500 includes encouraging participants to take diversions to explore local landmarks, with the target times for each day giving a generous amount of daylight to reach the destination hotel – in the case of the first leg, the 14th Century-originated White Hart Inn, on Bailgate in the historic centre of Lincoln.

‘If the Romans built straight roads, no-one told the Centurion overseeing Wheeldale’

Wheeldale: it would be hard to find a more aptly named grand touring location

With this in mind, I see and follow a road sign with the familiar helmet design, indicating another Roman road that spears off to the west in the direction of Goathland.

It’s a misnomer that the Romans only built straight roads, because presumably no-one told the Centurion overseeing the construction of Wheeldale. It clings to the edge of the hill, a gentle right-handed downward sweeper tightening until it ends with a sudden square-left, which then bounds over a humpback bridge and underneath the North York Moors Railway.

Three-Weber straight-six makes 321bhp and 290lb ft

I’m also getting the chance to stretch the DB6’s legs properly for the first time. Even by today’s standards it’s still rapid compared to most ordinary cars. With 321bhp, and capable of 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and nearly 150mph flat-out, it’ll still technically beat a new Mazda MX-5 according to a stopwatch. It’s a remarkably easy car to gather pace in, too, and a lot of that is down to the beautifully tactile and precise feel and action of the ZF gearbox. Having overdrive as an integrated fifth gear rather than a separately-flicked dashboard switch would have seemed like advanced luxury 60 years ago, at a time when most cars had a direct-drive top ratio. The DB6 soars easily at the road’s 60mph limit, as a steam locomotive hauls a train of Pullman carriages through the valley below.

Choose the right tour and travel back in time

Bentley-versus-Blue-Train fantasies are soon arrested by the thought – and sight – of that oncoming bend. Four-wheel servo-assisted Girling disc brakes were another part of the DB6’s advanced specification for the Sixties, but while they don’t fade like drums under duress, they require a gentle touch. Locking up, losing control and tumbling down into a ravine wouldn’t be a great way to extol the virtues of a classic tour. Be your own ABS control, feathering the pedal in a straight line, changing down a gear to engine-brake, and the Aston feels reassuringly under control.

Through the S-bends to Goathland, there’s a genuinely sporty incisiveness to the way it turns in. The steering may be unassisted, but thanks to the DB6’s lightweight aluminium construction it isn’t offputtingly heavy. You can make fine adjustments to its line through corners, rather than committing to one and holding on. Looking through that panoramic screen at the bonnet’s bulges and nacelles, hearing the twin-cam straight-six snarl and hurling the DB6 into another bend, I feel I could be in something with a far sportier reputation – a Jaguar E-type perhaps. That scuttle-shake I worried about? It’s there, occasionally, but it’s impressively minor for a big open tourer.

Overdrive helps the DB6 soar easily at the national speed limit

Descending into Goathland feels like another step back in time, to an era the Aston would be more familiar with. This 19th century spa town feels like everything has a preservation order on it – even the roadsigns are still the old black-on-white arrow-post type. But to a particular generation of British classic enthusiasts, this place has another identity. It was Aidensfield in Heartbeat, the Sixties-set 1992-2010 cosy-crime drama. Sometimes it seems every surviving British Fifties and Sixties classic appeared in it at some point if magazine small-ads are to be believed. Rolling through Goathland, I find myself wondering what circumstances might have brought a DB6 Vantage Volante to Aidensfield. Trouble at’mill, perhaps.

Powering back out of the valley, narrow high-hedged lanes flatten out into a huge vista of heather moorland, a deep russet-brown. Climbing back towards the A171, the forbidding yet futuristic concrete behemoth of RAF Fylingdales lurks on the horizon. A Cold War-era early-warning radar station originally set up to trigger the four-minute warning should a ballistic missile hove into view, its role is still shrouded in secrecy. Every now and then a highly specialised military police vehicle rumbles past. Driving a Sixties Aston, I feel half-tempted to pull up in a layby and study it covertly from afar through binoculars.

Hard to keep under the Fylingdales radar with a Volante

At the top of the hill though, I encounter an altogether different surprise. A French Blue Jaguar E-type V12 Coupé rests, taking in the view. ‘I only bought it yesterday,’ says its owner, Robert Bailey, who’s stopped off for a picnic and to walk his dog, Teddy. ‘I’m enjoying a few days driving it up here before taking it home to Uttoxeter, but I just fancied a classic that was a bit faster and more dynamic to drive – I’ve previously had Rover 14s.

‘I do intend to take this E-type on more big drives though,’ he continues. ‘The Lake District, including the Hardknott Pass, and a tour of mid-Wales are definitely on the cards.’ I divulge details of the Loxley 500 – it sounds like his sort of thing – then get back on course, driving into the Vale of Pickering.

Driving a classic fuels chance conversations

It’s here where the idea of a convertible grand tourer extends an atmospheric advantage over any hard-topped rivals. Away from the hurried pressures of motorways, you can truly take in the landscape. The sheer vastness of the sky, the width of the horizon. The climbing larks, the lapwing flocks on the verge of murmuration. In something sealed from the outside world, sunvisors folded down, everything drowned out by the radio, you just miss all this. The drive becomes all about the destination rather than the journey.

In an open tourer, another thing that strikes you as you pass through the countryside are the smells. You can take a reasonable guess at what crops farms are growing, or what that factory might make. As I enter Pickering, a bakery wafts out an aroma of fresh bread, while hot coals, oil and steam pour from the NYMR station the steam locos set off from towards the coast.

You can also hear what people are saying about your car. Thankfully, in the DB6 it’s all positive. Maybe it’s the way James Bond has made people who aren’t even car enthusiasts aware of the distinctive shape and the exclusivity, craftsmanship and desirability Sixties Astons convey, and Brits are proud the mere sight of them. The words ‘proper car!’ are heard often. A man in hiking gear approaches the DB6 from its bespoilered rear and frowns at it in unrecognition. As I sit at a red traffic light, he steps out into the road to take a closer look at the front end. His eyebrows raise as he smiles. ‘Ah! Ast’n Mart’n!’ he exclaims in a New York accent, before walking off with a look of satisfaction on his face. I feel as though I’ve completed a certain image of old England for him, that he’ll be compelled to tell the folks back home about after his holidays, in the same way I might if I saw a ’59 Cadillac on Madison Avenue.

Aston refinement is just right for galloping across the country

South of Pickering, I make my way between farmland to the outskirts of Hull and the Humber Bridge, draped like a spider’s web over the surface of the river. It’s odd to think that when this Aston – and most of the cars that will do the Loxley 500 – were new, this incredible structure didn’t exist. Before it opened in 1981, crossings at this spot had to be made by ferry. This was once the longest suspension bridge in the world, and when you’re mid-crossing, it feels it. Crosswinds nudge the Aston’s flanks, not enough to fire it into another lane, but I still have to concentrate to keep it tracking straight.

Picturesque Goathland will make you want to return in a heartbeat

There is a bit of dull motorway to negotiate on the Lincolnshire side of the Humber, but it’s worth it once you’re onto the next of our Roman roads. Ermine Street once linked London and York, but joining it in the form of the A15 at Scawby makes me feel as though I’ve just driven over the North Sea rather than a river. A world away from the stark cragginess of the moorland, the landscape is more reminiscent of the Netherlands. The sheer flatness, the sense you’re driving at sea level, and the vibrant blocks of Van Goghian colour dividing the fields up by crop. Every now and then there’s the remains of a windmill. Tellingly, this part of England was historically known as Holland. The accents of this area have been influenced by trade with ports across the North Sea, and local dialects punctuate the familiar with distant Dutch and German loan-words.

Branching out: leaving Malton, next stop, Hull

Unlike Wheeldale, Ermine Street really is a stereotypically arrow-straight Roman road. As a result, it presents the ancient city of Lincoln, with its magnificent cathedral, and castle housing the Magna Carta, similar to the manner of a stately home at the end of a long, grand avenue.

Our destination, the White Hart Hotel, feels appropriately historic. Bailgate, the narrow cobbled street it sits upon, is also part of Ermine Street, extending straight through the centre of Lincoln. A hotel of this name has been here since the 14th Century, although the present building dates to 1650. In 1915, a meeting was held here between Sir William Tritton and Major MG Wilson which resulted in the invention of the military tank, in an attempt to break the deadlock of the First World War.

Departing Pickering, it’s full steam ahead for North York Moors Railway

I’ve covered just a fifth of the Loxley 500’s miles today, and yet the drama of the scenery, and the sheer diversity of it all, makes it feel like I’ve taken in so much more. In terms of what I’ve seen, I might as well have driven to Lincoln via Scotland and Utrecht. And yet even in a thirsty car like the DB6, I’ve only used half a tank of fuel, and I haven’t had to queue for a passport stamp. So often when we contemplate the idea of a grand tour in a classic, we’re put off by the prospect of breaking down somewhere where there’s no common language and the local garage has never seen a car like yours. But this event is proof that you don’t need to cross the Channel to do a properly grand tour. At the end of those 500 miles, perched on the very end of England, to look back on it all would be to feel a genuine sense of achievement.

‘The DB6 has been perfect for this trip – smooth and refined, but sufficiently raw and interactive’

Playing bridge in Pickering

But it’s not just about the drive. It’s about the cars we do it in, too. The sheer competence of modern cars may have made motoring a great deal safer and a lot more reliable, but they also remove the sense of occasion. The Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante has been the perfect car for this trip – smooth and refined when it needs to be, but just sufficiently raw and interactive to properly enjoy like a sports car.

Tiny pedals connect you to large helpings of pure driving joy

And yet I’ve also been acutely aware that certain moments modern cars would shrug off nonchalantly – slowing from full chat to walking-pace for a hairpin bend, striding up a steep hill, knitting together a complex of moorland switchbacks, or just cruising on a motorway – present challenges for many classics. And yet without the challenge, there’s no fun. It’s such a classic car cliché to talk about their flaws being evidence of character, but in this case it’s so very true. So whatever you consider taking on this tour or any similar drive, make sure it’s brimming with it.

Vantage the most powerful DB6 Aston built

1967 Aston Martin DB6 Vantage Volante

• Engine 3995cc in-line six-cylinder, dohc, three Weber 45DCOE carburettors

• Power and torque 321bhp @ 5500rpm; 290lb ft @ 4500rpm

• Transmission Five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive

• Steering Rack-and-pinion

• Suspension Front: independent, MacPherson struts, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar. Rear: live axle, trailing arms, Watt linkage, coil springs, lever-arm dampers

• Brakes Front and rear: discs, servo-assisted

• Performance Top speed: 148mph; 0-60mph: 6.5sec

• Weight 1498kg

• Fuel consumption 13mpg

• Cost new £5000

• Classic Cars Price Guide £320k-£540k

DB6 full of character – ideal for a classic touring experience

Thanks to: the Classic & Sportscar Centre, Malton, for the loan of the DB6 Vantage Volante (classicandsportscar.ltd.uk). You can sign up to the Loxley Collection 500 UK Roman Road Classic Vehicle Tour via the-loxley-collection.com/the-loxley-500.

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To mark 60 years of the Jensen Interceptor and FF, we asked you to share photos of your own cars that are approaching, or have already celebrated, their 60th birthdays. And you certainly delivered.

Thank you to everyone who submitted images - Here are your cars...

Anthony Plumb

This is a 1976 Jensen Interceptor Coupé. It’s one of the last three cars made by Jensen Motors. I love the unique looks, fabulous interior and smooth powerful engine and accompanying sound! It’s a real head-turner.

Martin Kemp

1974 Jensen Interceptor Convertible, supersonic velvet with the roof off. What better way to cruise across beautiful open countryside roads.

Clive Bishop

1973 Jensen Interceptor MkIII J series owned for 10 years and now fully restored whilst retaining as much of the originality as possible.

Wayne Parslow

Exported this 1971 MkIII FF to Boston MA along with my family and used it is a daily for the 4 years we lived out there. Was great to see the astonishment on the SUV 4x4 yank tank drivers' faces when BOE111K (the Robbie Williams FF) piled past them in the snow.

John Hazzard

Restomod with a Lexus 4.3 V8 and 5 speed auto. As quick as the original, uses half the fuel!

James Gorzelak

Jensen Interceptor MkIII 1975. Californian import. 7.2 litres of fun in the sun. Resting with the grain. I love it!

Jonathan Holt

MkII 1970 6.3 litre. My father worked for Jensen in the late 1950s and then 1966 until the company went into liquidation. He was a design and purchase manager and I have so many happy memories as an 8 year old as he was always bringing Jensen’s home to product test and we would go out for family days in them. It is my 60th birthday as well as the Interceptor and as a gift to myself I purchased this Interceptor, it had a celebrity ownership from new. The actor Robin Ellis from the TV show Poldark was the first owner. For me the car is priceless, both my parents are no longer here and every time I get behind the wheel I think of them and the happy times. The Interceptor was far ahead of the times and the reactions I get when driving make me feel very honoured to be a custodian of this remarkable marque and hopefully pass it down to my son.

Turlough Nolan

Late MkI, 1969. A delight to own and drive. Transports one back to a different era. That V8 burble!

Curt Pearson

1972 Jensen Interceptor. A transitional car, with an older chassis renumbered at the factory as a 1972 MkIII. 440ci, three-owner car, originally sold in Beverly Hills, California, now relocated to North Dakota. Currently undergoing complete rewiring.

P Vadasz

1973 MkIII 6.3L (really). I love it because it is the coolest car ever. I named mine Winston Wolffe. Colour is California Sage.

Mark Hooghiemstra

Congratulations on the superb 60th Anniversary feature on the Jensen Interceptor and FF, a wonderful tribute to two truly iconic grand tourers. It was a fascinating read and captured the style, innovation, and enduring appeal of these remarkable cars beautifully. I was especially delighted to see the history celebrated, as I’m fortunate enough to also own a genuine press car, the very car that appeared at the inaugural Ulster Motor Show in Belfast in February 1970. Unfortunately, my car didn’t come with much history so I am reaching out in the hope that perhaps some of your readers may have any information about this event, especially any photographs from the show. It’s a special privilege to preserve and enjoy such an important piece of Jensen history. Thank you again for producing such a memorable anniversary edition for enthusiasts everywhere.

Patrick Fleming

These are 3 MkI FFs at Cropredy Bridge Cars. I love the car’s advanced technology; four wheel drive and ABS 14 years ahead of the Audi Quattro.

Steve Groves

1966 Vignale built pre-production Jensen FF recently restored. First owner was the real life forger in the great escape.

Mike Robins

MkI Jensen FF, 142 of 196 cars made. Registered in July 1969. Restored in 2012. It’s an old punk rocker!

Joerg Huesken

FF139, build 1969 - two owners in the United Kingdom; 1982 bought by an Austrian, stored for 35 years and then bought by me. 100% nut and bolt rebuild - the only FF known in "special" Orange with Jet Black roof.

Dino Fritz

My car is a 1974 Jensen Interceptor MkIII that was sold new in Adelaide, South Australia. The car was written off in 1989 due to an engine bay fire, and as the 3rd owner, I started a 7-year restoration of the drivetrain, body and interior. Buying a near-unmolested example and completely dismantling it showed me the attention to detail that goes into a quality hand-made car, while improving the car's weak points (reducing engine bay heat, improved electricals, etc.) has really enhanced the grand touring experience.

Stephen Duxbury

I have owned my Interceptor now for over 30 years, still a low mileage very original car, only done 34,000 miles from new. Its such a nice car and I love driving her.

Per Eie

This is the FF that was rolled when one year old; subsequently rebuilt. I have driven FFs for 30 years and some 80,000km year-round under all conditions. Fantastic cars indeed.

Chris Taylor

1966 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray roadster. Somehow my wife recruited enough momentary madness to buy if for me in 1987 when we were both in our first days of employment! Both our kids were raised thinking it was a normal thing to own. This thundering power-house of a car that even today looks like a rocket ship from a 1960s fantasy comic. It’s as reliable as a Lexus and at least half the cars that manage to pass me are holding cameras. My son lives in Aus and my daughter can’t reach the pedals so I hope I’m immortal.

Ian Northeast

1965 Jensen C-V8. The World's Fastest Jensen. Ran 194mph on its 60th birthday. Back in the UK to be converted Back to road legal use.

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