Classic Cars UK – Issue 598, May 2023
English | 180 pages | pdf | 216.97 MB
Saturday morning, the sound of an unfamiliar car pulling up on the driveway draws you outside to investigate. Is the driver lost and in need of directions, or given the choice of car, having trouble and needs assistance? Then the familiar figure of a friend emerges, face struggling to suppress a proud grin and eyes darting in your direction, eager for approval. ‘Couldn’t resist, amazing car for the money – can’t believe they’re not more expensive. What do you think?’ Cue uncomfortable moment when you wrestle with your conscience – tell him what a little research would have revealed, that his shiny new purchase is blighted with an unpleasant design flaw that will forever keep him miserable and future buyers at bay, or be diplomatic and say what he really wants to hear, that it’s an overlooked gem.
Integrity means you can’t, because cars like those in our cover feature are bypassed by the market for less sinister reasons, perhaps the unfortunate proximity of more desirable model variants or tenaciously adhesive but poorly-founded pub wisdom. And then there’s fashion. That fickle fellow.
While some ageing designs are quickly adopted as emblematic of their time and type, others struggle. So, after allowing Ross Alkureishi to enthuse you with the exciting possibilities represented by our six cover choices, let Alex Riley unpeel the influences of fad and fashion on car desirability. As vocal champion of the Triumph TR7 and snappy dresser to boot, he’s more than qualified.
With an E-type in the real garage and an Aston DB4 – among others – in the fantasy one, it might appear that my taste is straight down the middle, but with more money and space, they’d be joined by an odd mix of outliers, from TVR T350 to mid-Sixties Cadillac, cars that the popular money doesn’t chase and devotees of received wisdom would make jibes about.
But if we wanted to follow the herd, we wouldn’t drive classics, would we?
Phil Bell, group editor
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