This 1891 Panhard et Levassor, believed to be the fifth-oldest car in the world and quite certainly the oldest outside Europe, was owned by the Lower Hutt vintage car enthusiast (and son of the late Sir Len Southward) Roy Southward, who died in March last year. It seems that Roy Southward’s son offered the car to the museum while it was resident in Lower Hutt. However, museum staff declined to view the Panhard and turned down the offer of the car as a potential exhibit – instead indicating that the Southward Car Museum would be a better place for this historic vehicle.

Alas, the Panhard has now been shipped to Australia.

(Photo: Courtesy VCCNZ)

If you ask anyone who knows me reasonably well, they’ll more than likely tell you I have a real passion for originality when it comes to classic cars. And when I say originality, that’s exactly what I mean. In today’s world of megabuck restorations – and I drool over them just like anyone else – it’s refreshing to see good classics that have survived the test of time, proudly wearing their original battle scars to prove it. Often referred to as ‘survivors’, these cars are endowed with what is generally known as ‘patina’, and they’re actually few and far between, especially when you take into consideration the age of some of these cars.

What is patina you may ask? According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, patina is described as any distinctive surface appearance over time, in our case referring to the condition of the outside of the car, mainly the paint. Many would say that the latest trend in classic cars seems to be patina. This is confirmed from what I’ve seen – in particular there’s a growing craze for the ‘barn find’ look as an antidote to classic cars that have been either fully restored or, as some would have it, over-restored. Plainly, not all classic car enthusiasts are aspiring to a concours look, and for a growing number of collectors – such as Robert Pegler, the owner of the insanely Read full story…

A Jaguar E-Type that lay hidden in a garage for more than 30 years created a stir at the Bonhams auction, held at the RAF Museum in Hendon on Monday 29th April, selling for £109,020 (NZ$199,610) – more than three times its highest pre-sale estimate.

Bidders fought over the 1961 Roadster, one of the most desirable of all E-Types. A very early flat–floor 3.8–litre example dating from the first few weeks of production, the car is also one of the earliest surviving right-hand drive E-Type roadsters and had never been restored. It was in remarkably original condition, and had covered only 65,000 miles from new.

Purchased by the vendor in February 1965, the car was used regularly until the early 1980s, when it was taken off the road.

The new V7’s completely re-engineered 750cc 90-degree V-twin engine still retains the look and basic two-valve pushrod design of the original ’70s models – as devised by Giulio Cesare Carcano and Lino Tonti – but the current version of this classic engine now features more than 70-per-cent new components, which improve torque and power even at low revs.

The V7 comes in three styles: the V7 special, V7 Stone and the V7 Racer – our test bike being a matte-black Stone – and this small, yet aggressive-looking bike has plenty going for it in terms of style.

On The Road

OK, enough of tech stuff –  time to hop on this machine and see what it’s really like. The first thing I noticed was the Read full story…

The 150,000 plus spectators at the Circuit de la Sarthe in France on the warm, sunny afternoon of June 23, 1957, were treated to a very special moment in Le Mans history. For the third consecutive year, a D-Type Jaguar had crossed the finishing line first in the gruelling 24-hour race.

Our featured D-Type from SPR Models is the winner of the 1957 24-hour race – the 3.8-litre car driven by the British pairing of Ron Flockhart and Ivor Bueb. Entered by the Scottish Ecurie Ecosse racing team, the No. 3 Jaguar completed 327 laps, and a total distance of 4397km, around the 13.5km la Sarthe circuit.

Our 1:43 scale Spark model is beautifully detailed, with photo-etched bonnet handles and jacking points, minute separate bonnet straps, tiny tubular exhaust, and scale-thin clear PVC wrap-around windscreen. This injection-moulded resin model is part of Spark’s ‘Le Mans Winners’ series, indentified by the unique white packaging, and is mounted on a painted wooden plinth and protected by a clear acrylic display case. This Spark series covers most of the Le Mans winners from 1931 through to 2012.

To go into the draw to win Spark’s winning No. 3 D-Type Jaguar, click here and answer the following question.

The SPR Models website currently lists a model of one of the other D-Types from Le Mans 1957. What is that model?

Closing date is May 30, 2013.

This model, along with the rest of the Spark range, is available direct from SPR’s online store – www.spr-models.co.nz – or from selected hobby shops. For more information about the Spark, Bizarre, TrueScale, Armco and Brumm ranges phone John on 09 845 4551, or visit the website.

If you’re tempted to buy one of AUTOart’s stunning 1:18 die-cast models (and who wouldn’t?) then you’ll want to protect it from sticky fingers and keep it dust free. AUTOart has the answer with its acrylic display cases, available to suit most popular model scale sizes. Illustrated here is a case designed to hold a single 1:18 model. Functional and well made, this case comes complete with its own baseplate. Thanks to Toymod, the New Zealand AUTOart distributors, we have one of these 1:18 cases to give away to a lucky reader –  just answer the following question to be in to win …

In what year did AUTOart establish itself as a model maker? (Hint: try visiting www.autoartmodels.com)

To enter this competition, click here and enter your answer. Competition closes on May 30, 2013.

You can now buy Scalextric, Corgi and  AUTOart models online from www.webmod.co.nz – with all models ordered through the website  delivered free to your door within New Zealand. Not only that, if you buy a product from the website, simply enter ‘Classic Car Magazine’ in the promotional code section and you’ll receive a
10-per-cent discount on your purchase.