’80s & ’90s reflections

John Simister gets under the skin of six classics that are now officially ‘historic’

Price new: From £18,950 Price now: £16,000-25,000 Engine: 1.8-litre, four-cylinder petrol Gearbox: Fivespeed manual Power/torque: 118bhp/165Nm 0-60mph: 5.8 seconds Top speed: 126mph HAD Lotus not come

My outstanding memory is travelling to Toyota City in 2018 to award then CEO Akio Toyoda Autocar’s highest annual accolade: the Issigonis Trophy. He took the award extremely seriously, giving us an af

As the vagaries of wear, tear, and unknown levels of maintenance expertise affect a car, it’s hard to know if the example you’re driving is truly representative

John recalls some standout motors of 1985…

SPECTRAFLAIR. OTHER CAR COMPANIES MIGHT HAVE used DuPont’s wild iridescent paint system, but none employed it to better effect than TVR. It’s a point being proved to us in spectacular style by this gl