THE ‘TOP TEN’ FINALISTS IN THE LANCASTER INSURANCE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP’S AUTUMN COMPETITION IS AN ECLECTIC MIX WITH A SELECTION OF CARS THAT ARE GUARANTEED TO TURN ANY PETROLHEAD. FROM A TRADITIONAL BRITISH CLASSIC TO AN AMERICAN STUNNER, AN ORIGINAL ADVENTURER TO A FIRE BREATHING HOT ROD, EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!
Held at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, with Discovery, at Birmingham’s NEC from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th November 2017, 20 finalists in total will be looking to win the hearts and votes of the visitors, with the winner announced on Sunday afternoon.
Joining the recently restored 1972 Porsche 914 owned by Paul Hibbert, is the 1979 Citroen CX 2400 GTi, owned by Neil Osborn, that was discovered in a barn back in 2016. Since then, the car has undergone a sympathetic restoration so whilst it’s roadworthy, it retains its originality.
Jonathan Smith’s Daimler Dart SP250 is bound to set alarms ringing – as its an ex-Police car. In the late 1950s, the Metropolitan Police were having trouble with the Café Racer crowd and needed a fast car that could chase after the rowdy bikers. The SP250 was the answer, with this particular car purchased by the Police in 1961. It now lives a quieter life in East Yorkshire.
No final would be complete without the iconic blue oval of the Ford badge and the final will see two stunning examples – a rare Ford Cortina Savage Mk2, owned by Rob Sargent, and a 1973 Ford Cortina 2.0 GT, owned by Mark Rogers.
The Savage with it’s V6 engine was created by race legend and Ford’s Competitions Manager Jeff Uren. Since undergoing a full nut and bolt restoration back in 2005, it has won many concours competitions, even beating a Ferrari Europa much to Rob’s delight.
Mark’s Cortina is another award winning car. Only the second owner from new, Mark has fully restored the car but kept it as original as possible, even refurbishing the existing parts rather than replacing with new versions.
Linking into this year’s ‘Family Ties’ theme brothers Trevor and Brian Ford will be bringing their 1972 Morris Marina 1.8 Special Saloon, one of only six Specials believed to be still on the road.
The final four in this half of the completed line-up will create an American invasion of the best kind. Gareth Jones’ 1965 K-code Mustang Fastback and Craig Marsden’s 1970 Dodge Charger are the epitome of the American muscle car scene.
They will be joined by two Hot Rods that may be equal on power but world’s apart in terms of looks. Justin and Sally-Anne Woolner’s 1936 Chevrolet Half Ton Pick Up is all power and not pretty to look at, but an amazing feat of engineering.
While Andy Crockett’s all original steel 1941 Willy Coupe is breathtakingly beautiful but can still pack a punch in a street car shootout with it’s 468 Big Block Chevy engine or ‘RAT’ which, when blown and injected, produced over 700hp.
The Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership celebrates the passion of the owners, the history of the vehicle and the story that develops between the car and the owner over time. Previous winners include a family owned Metro City, a boat-tailed handmade Packard, and more recently, a Triumph Spitfire.
