Cars

Advanced and innovative technology: the determining factor in the development of outstanding automobiles and the cornerstone of BMW's quest for automotive excellence.

Not unsafe at any speed. Sam Glover buys a 1960 Chevrolet Corvair and thrashes it 5410 miles across the USA. Team Adventure Sam Glover finds the longest route to bring his new purchase home.  Across America - Sam Glover’s epic adventure. Words and photos Sam Glover.

‘I just really love the styling’ Brewer’s Citroen SM Resto Mike’s big Citroën has a long way to go before it’s ready for its NEC debut. Our special NEC show issue deserved a special car. So we quizzed Mike Brewer on his revival of a great French classic. Words Chris Randall. Photos Jason Critchell.

Practical Classics Restorer of the Year ‘Man in shed’ marvel. Mercedes-Benz 190SL W121 Resto. This twice-abandoned project is finally restored to perfection. Electrician Mark Messenger bought this Mercedes 190SL as a heap for £10k. Twelve years later he’s living the dream. Buy low SL high. Words Theo Ford-Sagers. Photos Bob Atkins.

Thirteen steps to buying a Lancia Flavia. Buying Guide Don’t buy a Lancia Flavia until you’ve read our exhaustive 13-point guide. We reveal how to buy a smart example of this up-and-coming Italian from £5500. Words Malcolm McKay. Photography Tom Wood.

The Pilgrimage. Great drives to meet marque gurus. ‘The C1’s suspension allows you to chuck it around’ We pilot the first of the twin-headlamp Corvettes to Britain’s top guru via the birthplace of British aviation in remote corner of Kent. Words Russ Smith. Photography Charlie Magee.

The Kicker Studebaker. A thoroughly retro demo car from one of the undisputed kings of American audio. With all that Kicker gear it’s as loud as it is low too! When Kicker Audio decide to build a showcase for their latest speakers, they don’t mess about. This 1950 Studebaker is testament to the passion of a bunch of enthusiasts who didn’t want to just screw some speakers into yet another minivan…

Hungarian Dodge Challenger. Built as a homage to a Foose original this European Challenger certainly has all the bells and whistles… oh and a huge exhaust! American muscle cars are just as popular on this side of the pond as they are in their homeland, though this ‘1972 Dodge Challenger proves that actually building one in Europe is harder than it might seem!

Remember the days when your dad changed the gearbox on your mum’s BL Mini in a weekend, pausing only for a cup of tea, cheese sandwich and ten minutes of World of Sport? I certainly can, just like I can recall my very petite and middle class mum underneath our three-year old Escort Mexico holding the gearbox up whilst Everett Snr got the top two bellhousing bolts in.

The classic car market is in full silly season, with mind-boggling prices being paid for some extraordinary and also very ordinary cars. Now, six figure sums for an M1 (the proper original one) can be justified because at the time, it was an absolutely tremendous thing – it combined the style, performance and agility of cars such as the 308GTB and the Bora… but it actually worked and wasn’t tragic on fuel. Grossly undervalued for so long it’s finally found its mark.

I recently part-exchanged my 2014 535d M Sport for a brand-new Range Rover Sport Autobiography… and, oh dear, how I miss my 5 Series. So much so, in fact, that I was originally trying to buy it back and reverse the deal. The dealer wanted an extra £5000 from me for less than a week’s worth of driving the Range Rover. Initially I said no, but decided I missed my car so much I really had no choice. So I agreed but then, the day before we was supposed to change back, the dealer called and told me it wanted a further £2800 as that is what Land Rover had contributed to the deal. At this stage I had to wave goodbye to my Five.

BMW 1 Series M Coupé E82 Buying Guide. Buying Guide BMW’s best modern classic, the wonderful 1 Series M Coupé.  The 1M Coupé is one of our favourite machines from the last ten years – a hoot to drive and cast iron values make it a sure-fire collector’s piece. Words: Bob Harper and Andrew Everett. Photography: BMW.