Final trip to AJ block for prototypes
Starting HANDEL
I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve not always understood the fanaticism that some owners have for originality, as I’d generally rather have a usable classic than a concours car. Returning a car to original specification by removing useful upgrades such as radial tyres in favour of OE spec crossplies, or halogen headlights for potted glow-worms, thus making the car less capable on the roads of today has always seemed counter intuitive to me. But my ongoing barn-find Mini revival (see p108) and the 19,000 mile from new, unrestored and exceptionally original 1923 Austin Seven AB tourer that has just celebrated its 100th birthday at the Great British Car Journey (p10), have changed my perspective somewhat, particularly when that originallity is genuine, rather than a restorer's interpretation of what was once there.
Classics are part of our social history. They tell stories of people. From the over £700,000 recently paid for an Escort RS because its seat bases were once graced by the bottom of Lady Diana, to the more humble; the cars that enabled independence and family mobility for the first time, vehicles of courtships, honeymoons, bringing home of babies, family holidays and first drives, those steering wheels you so fondly grip in your own classics have been held by hands of generations before, each with their own stories to tell.
And then there are the practical benefits of such astonishingly original cars. If owners allow, they not only serve as reference points for restorers seeking to discover where or how a particular component is fitted, but can also provide parts manufacturers a reference to ensure that modern reproduction components aren't simply copies of poorly copied copies.
THIS MONTH WE LOVE…
Sometimes it’s the things we reach for without thinking that deserve most applause in these pages. When rebuilding engines, one such unconscious stretch is for a tube of Graphogen compound. Its namesake, colloidal graphite, is held in a paste with oil that will not run off any parts it’s applied to while it’s low coefficient of friction ensures components from crankshaft journals and bearings to cylinder walls and cam lobes don't suffer from rubbing or scuffing before oil pressure can be achieved. Due to the stable nature of the compound, rebuilt engines that have had their internal working surfaces slathered in the stuff can be stored without fear of it running into the sump. And when the day comes to fire up the engine? Graphogen will dissolve into the oil once it's up to temperature.
As the former Vauxhall Motors HQ and design centre is prepared for demolitio
