Classic and Collector Car News, Features and Interviews.
The Fiat 850 Spider was the open top companion to the Fiat 850 Sport Coupe and was launched in 1965 at the Geneva Motorshow. While the Sport Coupe was styled by Boano, the 850 Spider was penned by Bertone. The elegant lines were matched to a rear mounted water cooled 843cc engine which produced 52BHP. Power was sent to the rear wheels through a four speed transmission and thanks to…
First shown at the London Motor Show in 1953, the Jensen 541 heralded a new era of glass fibre production cars for Jensen Motors. Designed by Eric Neale and Richard Jensen, the new luxury GT/sports saloon had its body mounted on a steel chassis which had a live rear axle and independent wishbone suspension at the front. While the body was glass fibre, the doors were aluminium with the windows…
Welcome to Part 2 of Take to the Roads adventure on the London to Brighton Classic Car Run. At the end of Part 1 we had made it to the midway point at Chiddingstone Castle. After a short break and some refreshments it was time to set off again and head for Brighton. So did we make it to Brighton without incident? Take a look and see how we got…
Launched in 1974, the Datsun 260Z replaced the very successful and well received Datsun 240Z. It featured an enlarged 2.6L straight six engine which produced 165BHP, though US bound cars were detuned to 140BHP thanks to emissions regulations. A four speed manual and three speed automatic was also offered along with improvements to the suspension which improved the cars overall handling. Other changes included the addition of a 2+2 model…
On Sunday 31st May Take to the Road took part in the 27th London to Brighton Classic Car Run. The event is run by GE Classic Motor Events and they’ve been hosting the London to Brighton run since 1988. The event takes inspiration from the long running London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. However this event is strictly for vintage and veteran cars of a certain age. Which means younger…
Following on from the success of the Fiat 600, the Fiat 850 series was launched in 1964. Fiat successfully employed the same floorpan and suspension setup in the 850 series, carrying over many components from the 600 series. This helped reduce costs and allowed Fiat to offer a Berlina (saloon), Coupe, Spider, Familiare (estate) and a Furgonata (van). The flexible body styles continued the water cooled rear engined format, utilising…
On Sunday 31st May Take to the Road took part in its first ever Classic Car Run. Organised by GE Classic Motor Events, the 27th London to Brighton Classic Car Run started from leafy Greenwich Park in London. Our start time was 8.35am so we arrived on site in our Bertone x1/9 Gran Finale at 7.50am. The weather was grey and overcast but the forecast heavy rain had thankfully held…
We are back from our little break and are delighted to announce that Take to the Road is taking part in this years London to Brighton Classic Car Run. Organised by Gemini Events, the run will start this coming Sunday at Greenwich park in London and will finish in Brighton around 12.30pm. The classic car run is coinciding with the Brighton Beach Classic Motor Show so its going to be a…
Gilbern was one of the few car manufacturers to originate in Wales. Operating between 1959 until 1973, they specialised in producing glass fibre based cars and for a time produced some very interesting GTs. One such GT was the Gilbern Invader Mk2. The Invader was launched in 1969 and was based on the previous Genie GT. Engines were sourced from Ford, utilising the 3.0ltr Essex V6. Its 141BHP was sent…
Designed in secret during the second world war, the Renault 4CV was launched to the French public in 1947. Much like the Citroen 2CV, it played an important role in mobilising France after the war. Unlike its French counterpart, the Renault 4CV offered four doors and was rear engined. Power was provided by a tiny 18BHP 760cc four cylinder engine which was mated to a three speed transmission. Thanks to…