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The market in classic cars is booming like never before. Paul Hardiman, a former deputy editor of Classic & Sports Car magazine and one of the sector's most experienced journalists, picks five of the very best Click to view Top 5 Classic Cars.
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Best American (Ford Mustang) |
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 In a word, Bullitt. What else could Steve McQueen have driven on the streets of San Francisco than a '68 Mustang 390GT? Well, if the film had been made two years earlier, Frank Bullitt would have had the even more appealing original ponycar, launched in '64. But all Mustangs up to the "breadvan" of 1971 are cool. |
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And if you've always hankered after an all-American classic but have to live with crowded British roads, this is the car for you; compared with most Stateside stunners, it's a pretty compact package. Mustangs come in a bewildering permutation of specifications because, in the Sixties, this was a "build-it-yourself" custom car, and it's hard to find two exactly alike, with three different body styles - notch, fastback and convertible - and three basic choices of engine. But, from 1964-1969, they look basically the same, getting slightly fatter and heavier every year from '66. Straight-six powered cars are available but the ones you are most likely to encounter will have the 289 cu in (4.7litre) V8 of 200-220bhp; the holy grail is the K-code V8 of an alleged 271bhp, though make sure its VIN is not only stamped in the left-hand bonnet shut, but that the correct, corresponding motor is fitted too.
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 So you've got a car about the size of a 5-series BMW, with a little less go, a lot less brakes and slightly odd steering: it's still one of the most usable American cars on British roads, says Laurence Sayers-Gillan, boss of one of the UK’s fastest-rising classic car auction companies, Barons, and who has personally owned five Mustangs in the past decade: "Its appeal is a combination of style, usability and parts availability but it is the 2+2 fastback that takes the biscuit for me - and the higher prices. Purists go for the smaller, neater and more nimble '64-'66 car but the '67-'68 cars have the Bullitt link."
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Imports |
| Prices are similar for all "classic" years and there are plenty in the UK, though the choice is wider in its homeland. If you import one from the US it works out about the same price, says Sayers-Gillan: "A really nice car is around $18,000-$20,000 or £10,000-£12,000. Add £1,000 for shipping and then the nasty bit: British Customs will take 23.5% from you in VAT and duty. All this adds up to around £15,000 then you have to MoT the car and, invariably, there will be work required. Budget at least £1,000 for MoT and other bits, a lot more if the car is a cheaper example." |
Rare Shelbys |
.jpg.jpg) The most sought-after Mustangs are the rare Shelby GT350s, costing about £40,000; there are many clones, or fakes, which are worth about half as much, though sellers are usually honest about the car's provenance. "These are okay if done properly," says Sayers-Gillan. "Unfortunately, most are not. I would steer clear unless the work has been done to a very high standard." |
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Pros- A genuine Sixties style icon; Reasonably priced and usable; Good spares availability
Cons - Bewildering array of variants makes direct comparison between cars difficult; Beware of dodgy Shelby clones |
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Typical Prices - £10,000-£35,000
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