There have been some incredible cars advertised on dealer forecourts over the past 12 months. We asked Nick Larkin to choose just nine of his personal favourites
We’ve assessed 204 classics for sale in our Chasing Cars pages during the past 12 months.
Our experts hop behind the wheel of everything from everyman projects to no-expenses-spared restorations, encompassing everything from a £795 Mazda MX-5 to a £190k Porsche 911, so that you know what they’re really like before you pick up the phone or fire off an email enquiry.
But which ones stood out above the rest in a year packed with tempting buys? We asked Nick Larkin – a man who’s bought so many classics over the years that even he’s lost count – to tell us which of these tempting classics he’d happily add to his own garage…
1963 VAUXHALL VICTOR FB
WHY NICK LOVED IT The FB Victor is definitely my favourite Vauxhall; it simply bristles with subtle curves and oh-so period styling cues, as might be expected with design legend Gerald Palmer involved. It might just be the prettiest British family car of its era. FBs are a pleasure to drive, too, with relatively light steering and acceptable handling. Better still this range-topping Super FB was rust-free (what?!), looked great in its two-tone paint and its sturdy, well-proven mechanics were in excellent condition. This was a really good and extremely rare find.
SOLD BY Craner Classics, 0115 691 9553, cranerclassics.co.uk
1972 JAGUAR E-TYPE V12
WHY NICK LOVED IT My drive of the year, I think; this immaculate and sensibly priced 64,000- mile example was everything that you’d ever hope that a V12-engined E-type would be. In first class condition throughout, this manual car offered virtually XJ-S standards of ride and comfort, plus seeming endless power and excellent brakes. And those sounds – I could have listened to the exhaust burble all day. I was so enamoured of it that I seriously considered telling the vendor that the car had been abducted by aliens during my test drive…
SOLD BY Peterborough Classic Cars, 01733 270227, peterboroughclassiccars.com
1962 MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER
WHY NICK LOVED IT Something of a bargain in view of its excellent condition, this was the essence of a faithful ‘Moggie’ Traveller, perfectly capable of raising smiles at a show one day and taking an old fridge to the tip the next. Almond Green is the perfect colour, too – it just looks right,as does the spoked steering wheel that you got in 1962. This car would spread goodwill wherever it went. Imagine driving it with all those Morris Minor sound effects echoing through the cavernous load area. Oh yes please!
SOLD BY RFH Classics, 01462 338755 rfhclassics.co.uk
1965 DAIMLER V8 250
WHY NICK LOVED IT Thank goodness we don’t have the space to go into the age-old ‘D
