Owning

By the time I was 15, I’d been to lots of historic trials and race events with my dad, but I’d never spent much time in the workshop. That changed during lockdown, when he and I built an Austin Seven Ulster Rep together. Then I bought an MGB trials car that hadn’t been used for about five years, got it running and did a seasons trialling in it in MCC events, before selling it to put money toward this Peugeot.

V12 thirst aside, the last of the traditional XJs can be a surprisingly practical classic but don’t expect an easy ride. WORDS PAUL WAGER LIVING WITH THE SERIES 3 JAGUAR XJAn up-together Series 3 XJ can be a delightful prospect, but a down-at-heel example can quickly drain you of funds and enthusiasm. Here’s how to stay on the right side.

Bought new by a Ministry of Defence official, this Fintail has spent the decades since in single family ownership criss-crossing Europe. Words RICHARD MASON Photography IAN SKELTON Trans-Europe Express – the well-travelled story of a ‘Fintail’ Mercedes July 1967 – Desmond Thain collects in Stuttgart ‘My dad, Desmond Thain, always had nice cars, Zephyrs and Jaguars,’ says Desmond’s son Philip. ‘But he’d never had a Mercedes before.

Rescued from a bankrupt Ginetta, this wild V8 roadster has tested the mettle of two passionate owners. Words SAM DAWSON Photography IAN SKELTON Tricky to live with, sublime to drive – a Ginetta G33’s life story told 1995 – Malcolm Pinder realises his long-held dream of becoming a Ginetta owner ‘When I was 19, I went to the Motor Show at Earls Court, saw the then-new Hillman Imp-based G15, and knew then and there that I wanted a Ginetta one day,’ says Malcolm Pinder.

The Beverly Hills Car Club CEO on the appeal of the 1991 Porsche 911 Carrera 2 Targa 964, which helped Porsche weather an economic storm. Porsche Torque with Alex ManosThe Porsche 911 Targa was the last of its kind, which in itself makes it one of our favourites. From this point on, the Targa was a very different car: this was the last car to feature the traditional Targa design of fixed-hoop, removable roof panel and glass rear screen.

We love to see BMWs that are cared for but also used and enjoyed because that’s what they’ve been built for. That’s most definitely the case with Ted Klamn’s E28 535is. This 1987 example has a staggering 425,000km on the clock, that’s over 264,000 miles, and we applaud that. The 535is is a US model, which came with Sport seats and front and rear spoilers, and Ted’s example looks gorgeous in Zinnobar red.

At the risk of this becoming a list of firsts, let’s start with the fact that this i4 M50 is the first BMW car I have ever owned – although I’m on my second MINI and previously had an S1000 RR superbike if that helps. The i4 M50 also happens to be the first fully-electric BMW car (not SUV) with xDrive and the first BMW EV to be awarded full M-status. Every journey has to start somewhere, but my BMW journey started somewhere else entirely. The first BMW I ever drove was in itself a first, too.

Bought for an Australian couple to explore Europe with, this Mercedes-Benz has lived a life of adventure from the start. Words RICHARD MASON Photography LAURENS PARSONS THE LIFE STORY OF A 1989 Mercedes-Benz 190D 2.5 Turbo Automatic W201 Toured Europe, cosseted by a codebreaker, now a classic.

If the final incarnation of any design is seen as its pinnacle, Nigel Sandell’s late-model Silver Spur – which features a range of unique upgrades – is arguably the ultimate Rolls-Royce SZ, as Paul Guinness explains.

I’ve always been a sucker for a Nürburgring trip. I’ve lost count of how many times I have visited, but it’s in the double figures. It’s not a difficult or particularly expensive one to tick off the bucket list, either, as I often tell people who wistfully talk of ‘one day I’ll go there’! Two and a half hours from Glasgow sees me at the Newcastle ferry for a relaxed (or party-spec, depending on your mood) overnight crossing to Amsterdam.

Looking and sounding far more exotic than the product of a double garage in Auckland, the Mini de Joux was the brainchild of one of New Zealand’s best automotive designers. Words and photography by Patrick Harlow PLAYING THE LONG GAMEKits and Pieces Ferris de Joux’s greatest hitIn 1973 Stephen, the owner of this featured Mini de Joux, went to a gravel hill-climb held at Hoopers Inlet on the Otago Peninsula.

I have been reading JaguarWorld for a few years and thought I would offer my Jaguar story: I have been lucky enough to own three versions of the XJ range since 1999 and give my experiences/thoughts on all three. I first purchased a 1998 X308 (XJ8) LWB 4.0 Sovereign in Madeira with ivory leather when it was six months old, an ex-demo. In my view, this was the last of the great looking Jaguars, inside and out; it was a true limousine and drove smoothly with plenty of power.

My E36 has been getting tons of use as ever, equal to that of my alleged ‘daily’ E34. It’s typically very reliable, but there was a recent hiccup, that being a burst CV joint while hundreds of miles from home in Birmingham. A known weak spot to most owners, and yes, I have exacerbated the issue of course with a Ade’s E36 323i welded diff, lots of lowering and some harsh drift action!

For 23 years my brother has come over from Australia for Beaulieu and Goodwood, latterly buying a cheap 2CV on arrival to get him around Europe, then shipping it home and selling for enough profit to pay his air fares. Impressed by his driving it flat-out to the South of France and back, I began looking for a 2CV for myself and soon found a local dealer ad for a 28,000-mile, one-owner, five-year-old example for £2500.

I’d had the R8 about a month when a neighbour sauntered over and asked if I had won the lottery. Sitting on his drive at the time was a new Renault Zoe with a list price that would comfortably see him into an R8. Not as nice as this one, but a decent R8. And that is the beauty of this generation of Audi: it went into production 15 years ago and has aged so well that people just assume it is still a new car. Why shouldn’t they?