Classic Cars

Classic Cars is the original classic car magazine. It defined the world of classic motoring 40 years ago and still does it today. Every issue is put together by our team of classic car experts and enthusiasts. Using the best expert writing and photography, the magazine helps you experience what it's like to drive, keep and restore the classic cars of days gone by. We bring the stories and people behind the cars to life - showing you how to buy, keep and enjoy your cars. Every issue of Classic Cars is packed with: - Road tests - Drive stories - Expert buying advice - News and events coverage Classic Cars is the original classic car magazine.

Welcome • Our celebration of V8 Ferraris had me playing fast-rewind through the models I’ve been fortunate to drive, and it left me wanting more

‘I like all these quirky touches – it could only ever be a Rover’ • Mike Finnis aspired to a Rover P6 3500S years ago, so Classic Cars gives him one for a day to see if it lives up to the legend

Lagonda Rapide price reset • Entry to the exclusive world of Sixties Astons looks more accessible than ever

Desert wins • Bargain buys from Bonhams in Arizona

French fancy

Sunny side up • Maserati’s finest? Rare Euro-spec Ghibli Spyder still available from RM’s Paris sale

Will bigger London ULEZ affect classic values?

IN THE TRADE

What’s in a name? A lot, it seems... • A collection of eight VIP-owned Lotus Elans hightails it to auction – but which provenance adds most value?

Big-blocks hit Birmingham • Revitalised Autosport show saw a roll-call of long-unseen V8 monsters emerge

Estates of the Art • Season-opener Bicester Scramble celebrates five-door heroes

Tom Karen, 1926-2022 • Versatile designer was as well-known outside of the motoring world as he was for his unmistakable vehicles

February-May event highlights • Old favourites return for a classic Spring 2023

Rare BMW escapes underworld • Koenig 850 with murky past emerges from underground after eight years in hiding

Chance to play Chancellor

The once-lively Frogeye that now needs a jump

Overlooked Gems • From £4k Fiat to £20k Aston, six brilliant bargains the market has missed

DS dancing on ice

Getting old

Steaming engines

The stuff of memories

It’s not over yet

Classic Cars

QUENTIN WILLSON • A chance conversation with my daughter led to a useful insight into the cars that Gen Z thinks are ‘sick’, which translates as ‘cool’ to you and me

JOHN FITZPATRICK • Thanks to a mix-up over start fees, I ended up being chased down the highway by a sweaty race promoter, desperate to locate his misplaced $20,000

FERRARI’S V8 GREATS • Join us for a symphonic celebration as we honour 50 years of mid-engined V8 Ferrari road cars – six choices each with a compellingly different reason for desire

ACCIDENTAL HERO • Ferrari’s new V8 wasn’t meant to go racing, but necessity and chance made it a winner on both track and rally stage

World-class bargain • Despite price rises across the board, Ferrari’s four-seater ‘world car’ Mondial is still cheap. Can you still buy one for Mondeo money though?

LOOKING AFTER NO 1 • One hundred years ago, Alvis built this car in a quest for competition success to publicise its brilliant new overhead-valve engine. They called it Racing Car No 1 – does it live up to that name today?

‘People think glassfibre doesn’t rot... but it does!’ • This Lotus Elite should have tasted glory at Le Mans in 1959, but a pre-race accident changed its fate. After a first rebuild, many owners and decades off the road, the time came for a return to road/race specification…

THE LIFE STORY OF A Mini Moke • Created to find a new...