Here is a scene that was all-too common in the 1960s - a queue of stationary cars trying to get to the seaside on a sunny June day. Frustrating for the drivers, taxing for many a cooling system, but great for car enthusiasts 50 years hence!
These days you wouldn't get away with marketing an estate car with just two passenger doors but back in the ’70s it was common practice: the BMC 1100, Allegro, Alfasud and even the Range Rover were all offered in three-door form.
The low-volume sports car is an area where Britain has traditionally excelled, from Morgan to Lotus and TVR with countless others along the way plus modern newcomers like Noble and Radical.
The last of the Cavaliers and also – in European markets – the first of the Vectras, the Mk3 Cavalier was once a common sight but like so many fleet cars has suddenly started to disappear. Don't believe us? Just try and find one today outside a car show.
Like a modern-day 500, Fiat’s original Panda was designed originally as affordable utilitarian transport but the minimalist approach encouraged some innovative thinking which gave the car a cult appeal across Europe.
Disc brakes offer better stopping performance than comparable drums, including resistance to ‘fade’ caused by overheating. We trace the development of this important automotive innovation back to the opening years of the Twentieth century.
What we know as the Hillman Avenger may have begun its life under the Rootes Group in Coventry but it ended production in Argentina of all places having worn no less than seven name badges during its 21-year lifespan.
You may not be a fan of BMW's modern range or indeed the drivers of its flashier products, but back in the ’70s and early ’80s the company enjoyed a very different image. Back then, it was a small player on the UK market, much like a German Alfa Romeo or Saab, its customers buying the cars for their engineering and quality.
The Canary Islands boast a thriving classic car scene, as well as a large and active all-marques club on the isle of Gran Canaria – as Paul Guinness was recently reminded.
We revisit some unlikely records which were broken by car makers in their quest for publicity.