A cheerful cross section of classic cars was present at the yearly held British Cars & Lifestyle event. I propose to skip the Lifestyle-aspect entirely and head straight for the cars, parked in the brick parking lot behind the main building. The weather was nice, during the day many owners showed up in their classic British ride. The result was a motley collection of 4-, 6-, 8- and 12-cylinder motor cars.
Let’s start with something special right away with this 1975 Reliant Scimitar GTE automatic, powered by a 3.0 liter Ford Essex V6.
1964 Ford Zodiac Mark III with a 2,553 cc inline-6 engine.
Blue: 1998 Morgan 4/4. Red: 1982 Morgan 4/4.
1979 Rover (SD1) 2600 automatic. Under its hood a 2.6 liter Leyland PE166 inline-6.
1981 Triumph TR7 convertible.
1963 Jaguar Mark 2.
1968 Triumph GT6 Mk I, 2.0 liter inline-6.
1974 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. No British car show without a classic Roller.
1955 Austin A30, a small family car with a 0.8 liter engine.
1989 Jaguar Sovereign 3.6 (XJ40).
1969 Rover (P5B) 3.5 Litre Coupé.
1970 Rover (P5B) 3.5 Litre Saloon. The Rover V8 engine, based on the Buick 215, made its debut in the 1967 P5B (B for Buick).
1977 MGB roadster…
…powered by a Rover 3.5 V8 with Edelbrock bits ‘n pieces.
1971 MGB with a hardtop and its factory 1.8 liter 4-cylinder.
2000 Rolls Royce Silver Spur.
Yes, the MGB is a very popular British classic, this one is from 1973.
1967 Jaguar 240.
1978 MGB Rubber Bumper Edition.
Daimler Double Six (based on the Jaguar XJ Series III), in this case Double Six equals a 5.3 liter V12.
A legendary profile for sure.
1956 Bentley S1 Continental Coupé by coachbuilder H.J. Mulliner & Co. Wonderful, stately and classy.
1971 Triumph TR6. The TR6 was powered by Triumph’s 2.5 liter inline-6.
1976 Morgan Plus 8 (Rover 3.5 V8 engine).
1951 Morris Oxford Series MO.
1970 Jaguar E-Type 4.2 Series 2.
1996 Rover Mini.
1966 Triumph Herald with a hardtop.
1965 Jaguar S-Type (3.4 liter engine).
1973 Jensen-Healy (2.0 liter 4-cylinder Lotus 907 engine).
1973 Jaguar E-Type roadster Series 3 with the 5.3 liter V12.
Also present, of course, the E-Type’s successor. Here’s a 1986 Jaguar XJ-SC V12 targa convertible.
A blue 1968 MGC GT in the foreground…
…and another blue 1968 MGC GT in the foreground.
The MGC was powered by the 2.9 liter inline-6 BMC C-Series engine.
1986 Jaguar XJ-S 3.6 coupé.
Now steady on, old chaps!
My favourite of all of them would be the Rover P5B coupe.
Perhaps the first four-door coupe, as labelled by the manufacturer?
Very interesting variety, I have not seen a BRG over grey like that Rolls Royce Continental before.
It is fun seeing some British stuff that wasn’t sold in the States.
Good grief but that Ford Zodiac is ugly. It looks almost Soviet.
It looks American to me, as do the more “sinister” Soviet cars. I actually think they look good with the right wheels.
The grill looks like a ’61 Dodge.
The Zodiac is great! Classic early 60s domestic motor, driven by pop stars and cops.
Lovely greenhouse. But like Dave, I have to go with the P5B coupe in a perfect livery. My dream car, bar none.
Mind you, the regular P5B is pretty tasty – also the Scimitar, the GT6, the MGB roadster with the Rover /Buick V8, the TR6…
If I can’t have any of 5ose, I guess I’ll have to settle for the Continental. It’s been a long time since a new Bentley could be described as wonderful, stately or classy.
The Zodiac at the show was sold as a new car in the Netherlands. Below the dealership’s signature. It says “Franeker Automobielbedrijf N.V. – Official Ford Dealer – Tel. 2223”.
Franeker is a (small) town up north, in a rather rural area. No pop stars there, certainly not back then, so maybe it was driven by the local bobby / copper…
Its first registration: May 29, 1964.
Wonderful to see 1970s MGs with proper grilles instead of those rubber noses. That black ’77 with the V8 looks so sharp.
The side markets and taillights have me wondering if those MGBs are important from the US.
Eh, “imported”.
I fell in love with British cars as a small child, probably starting with a TD or TF MG. And I still love them but realize they aren’t usually viable as “only cars”/DDs.
I watch period dramas on PBS mostly to look at older British cars…and sometimes for the stories.
That said, I could easily own any of the cars pictured here, EXCEPT for the black MG. The side pipes are a bit much, and I would like a bit more “protection” at each end.
I am impressed by the many photos I’ve seen of Holland over the time Johannes has been posting. I’ve been there several times and it still looks good to me.The brick surfaces often seen where the cars are posed look so much better than American parking lots. And I love the variety of cars from all over the world that the Dutch seem to get. Sure, they cost more and the fuel is expensive, but the freedom of choice is attractive to this buyer who is repulsed by the SUV/CUV predominance in the USA market.
As for this group, clearly the Bentley Continental is the most stunning; the Daimler Double Six is the most stately; and the Zodiac is the most ugly.
How can a 1964 Ford Galaxie look so good and a Ford Zodiac of the same year look so bad? Usually there were common themes in Ford US and Ford UK styling but this is the exception to any such rule.
The Zodiac must have been sketched by Exner after a hard night of pub-crawling.
Separated at birth?
Give the poor Zodiac a set of wide whites, and she’ll be smiling all the way to the bank …..
Also, semi-on-topic, here’s a cute picture of an Austin Seven working for a living.
https://68.media.tumblr.com/3c4c77f075d6e6056d6052cd82dea027/tumblr_p615wjSXO81unvzbko1_1280.jpg
I love all the Rovers, esp. the ’79 SD1 which would not look out of place on today’s roads, and the ’96 Mini with the fender flares and fat tires.
Notice how even the newest 2000 RR keeps a family resemblance and is clearly recognizable even at a glance for the brand it proudly is. In contrast why has Lincoln become so hopelessly lost in the wilderness?
Can’t argue that those Rover P5Bs are very handsome cars. I would have either in a heartbeat.
I’m finding that the eighties jags (saloons AND the XJ-S) are really growing on me as they age. The flying buttresses on the rear of the XJ-S remain questionable, but everything in front of there is rather nice. I saw somewhere a “shooting brake” conversion that was available at the time that fixed everything wrong with the proportions and emphasised everything that was right. If only Jaguar had made it themselves…
Conversely some of the older Jags look a little louche. That 240 for instance looks like it would be driven arrogantly to and from the golf club by a cad named Nigel. Still a beautiful car but I could never see myself in one.
The SD1 is only looking better as it ages. I think I would rather want the 3500, just coz.
This looks very much like the British cars you’ll see at Israeli meetings – the usual suspects of types and makes, including cars that were imported from the US (those BIG bumpers are a giveaway).
Thanks for sharing the meeting, Johannes.
Special small fender skirts on the Jaguar Mk II.
Love the MK3 my neighbour has a Zephyr, I had one of those Herald coupes the roof unbolts easily and soft tops are simple to fit rare cars now.
Look carefully and it’s not the Herald coupe top – the rear screen is shallower and there’s not the decorative ribbing on the side – but it is very similar.
I would say it’s an aftermarket bit to fit the four-seater convertible. I know about those because when my mother moved up to Anchorage, Alaska, where I was living, she sent me out to buy her a car for about $700 (this was 1965), and a Herald convertible was what I brought home. Except for its aversion to sub-zero starting, it was actually a very good car for that climate, since anyone driving a car would be bundled up in a parka or similar anyway, and it handled the slippery stuff very well. And on warm sunny days it was a real treat. That photo made me want another …
What happened to the rear wheels of the Zodiac? Did someone put in the rear axle of an Anglia?
Random thoughts…
I see what you mean about a Zodiac bring Soviet….
…unusual colour for an SD1, but attractive, as always, and unusual wheels as well….
…. never seen a side trim like that on a TR7..
…..my pal Paul has 4 Scimitars…..
……and I like the Bentley Continental bets, or maybe the Double Six……
I’ve always been amazed that Rover, then still a fairly small company, tooled up a different roof, doors without integral window frames, and all that unique glass for a second four-door sedan style, and kept both in production to the end. But what style!
Great cars and photos. I’ve always had a thing for the P5 Rovers. Jim.
Great collection of beauties from Blighty. I love that Bentley, but I’d never dare. I’ll take the Scimitar instead.