Advice (Page 7)

Our luxury car storage team takes the pulse of the booming restomod scene, from the Eagle E-Type into the future. The good old days? Roll back 10 or 20 years and breaking down in a classic car was seen as being a part of the experience, a toolbox and spares readily available in the boot as and when needed. Similarly, fettling the car in the days leading up to a drive was also par for the course, and on that drive, the driver ‘enjoyed’ poor braking, a risk of overheating and all of the trappings of an old car in a modern age – like no air con or somewhere to charge your phone. To many of us that doesn’t matter, it’s why we drive a classic, and if you’re lucky enough to drive a 50-year-old Ferrari, Aston Martin, or Porsche then you’ll find the performance more than adequate. It is rather warm in the cabin though and slowing down needs a firm press of the pedal and some good luck. And that’s where the restomod came in. Classic meets modern Restomods take the best of the old, combined with the most useful of the new. For many of us the Eagle E-Type is the first car to come to mind. All the style of an E-Type Jaguar, but with modern brakes and suspension, a nice stereo, air conditioning, a modern gearbox and a well-trimmed cabin. It meant the owner could undertake a drive to the Riviera without issue, and it also meant you could put the V12 power to good use as it stopped and handled like a modern sports car. Did it take away some of the charm and character of the original? That’s down to individual tastes, but we see plenty of old houses with modern extensions so there is a market for a mix of new and old. All mod cons Since the Eagle, one can barely move at events like Goodwood Festival of Speed without bumping into another restomod launch, be it a Lancia Delta Integrale or a Porsche 928. Many of these come with lavish interiors, tuned engines and a large price tag. Look closely and you’ll see they are a labour of love, with exquisite details and ultra-high-quality materials and that’s before we take into consideration the engineering prowess needed to blend old cars with new technology whist maintaining the classic feel. No wonder these cars come at a cost. How about you? Would you rather the finest 930 Turbo money could buy, or would you take a Singer recreation instead? You pays your money; you takes your choice. One thing is for certain though, restomods are here to stay. In recent times restomod cars have started to be accepted as genuine classics, even by some of the official owners clubs. And, along with EV converted classics, they offer a great way to attract a new breed of enthusiast to the world of classic cars…and that can only be a good thing.   Luxury car storage for vintage, modern and everything in-between At Windrush, every car is welcomed and cherished. Whether you come to us hoping to keep an untouched classic in pristine condition, or trust us to draw up a bespoke maintenance schedule for a restomod model, no other prestige car storage service takes a more individual-focused approach. Step inside our long term car storage facilities in London and the Cotswolds and you’ll see the results of that attention to detail. The service starts with our renowned twelve-step induction process – from a professional clean to a personal storage bay – ensuring your vehicle is settled down the right way. That care and diligence continues for the duration of your stay, too, as we keep your pride and joy in peak condition with ongoing maintenance, regular check-ups and round-the-clock security. For the highest standards in long term car storage, it has to be Windrush. Contact the team now on info@windrushcarstorage.co.uk

From KITT to the A-Team van, Windrush’s classic car storage team counts down the small-screen icons that became more famous than their drivers. If you assembled religiously for episodes of Knight Rider in 1983 – or recently bid for an A-Team van replica on eBay – then you’ll already know the lifelong spell that a great TV car can cast. Chosen by Windrush’s prestige car storage team, here are ten classics that have earned a place in popular culture. 1983 GMC Vandura – The A-Team With its unmistakable red slash and a medallion-draped Mr. T barking orders behind the wheel, the A-Team van was coveted by every autophile child of the ’80s. If you can’t afford to pick one up at auction (guide price: £60k), why not try building your own? 1969 Dodge Charger – The Dukes Of Hazzard With its satsuma finish, confederate flag and baffling lack of functional doors, the General Lee was the king of redneck rides, keeping the Duke boys one step ahead of Boss Hogg and inspiring a generation of British kids to hood-slide across their dad’s bonnet. Over 300 customised Chargers were used by the show – with one model typically written off per episode. 1975 Ford Gran Torino – Starsky & Hutch Starsky actor Paul Michael Glaser didn’t think much of the cop car he would be driving when it was first presented to him by producer Aaron Spelling (“That thing looks like a striped tomato!”). But it’s impossible to imagine the show without this V8-powered icon running down the bad guys. Watch it in action against the General Lee here. 1978 Ferrari 308GTS – Magnum, P.I As Hawaii’s bushiest-moustached private dick, Thomas Magnum only drove the best. Across eight series, Tom Selleck commandeered such automobile eye candy as a 1980 Audi 100 and a 1974 Jaguar XJ. But as the star of the opening credits, the GTS was the pick – and a 1984 example certified to have been driven by Selleck himself went under the hammer in 2017 for £128k. 1982 Pontiac Trans Am – Knight Rider Announced by the ghostly swoosh of its scanner bar, and tooled up with tear gas, flame throwers and grappling hooks, KITT’s most memorable feature was its slightly condescending proto-AI personality, with voice actor William Daniels keeping the Hoff’s bouffant crime fighter on the straight and narrow. 1977 2.0 Capri – Minder As TV’s archetypal geezer, Dennis Waterman’s Terry McCann needed a motor that was suitably urban, gritty and rough round the edges, with Ford’s fastback ticking all the boxes. Long-standing fans looked on jealously as the Capri sold at auction for £52,000 in 2016 – and felt a lump in their throats last year with the bombshell that it had been “burnt to a crisp” in a heatwave. There’s probably never been a better advert for long term car storage. 1981 Audi UR Quattro – Ashes to Ashes Set a decade earlier, Life On Mars had caught the ’70s zeitgeist in the bottle with a Ford Cortina, and as a highlight of sequel Ashes To Ashes, DCI Gene Hunt’s hot-red Audi couldn’t have been more unashamedly ’80s if it came with a housebrick-sized mobile phone. Altogether now: ‘Fire up the Quattro! 1962 Volvo P1800 – The Saint After Jaguar refused the use of its E-Type, Roger Moore’s suave sleuth took the wheel of this ice-white roadster (and loved it so much that he bought one for himself). A generation wept when the original P1800 was found rotting in Wales in 1991 – until enthusiast Kevin Price restored the model to its ’60s glory. 1976 Broadspeed Jaguar V12 Coupe – The Avengers As a quintessentially British gentleman spy, John Steed would never have driven anything as vulgar as a sports car. Across the hit show’s lifespan, the late Patrick Macnee’s character dabbled with Bentleys and Rollers, but it will always be the Jaguar he’s most closely associated with – hence the £62,000 the vehicle fetched at auction back in 2015. 1986 Ferrari Testarossa – Miami Vice Played by Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas, Crockett and Tubbs were the undercover cops who made a generation roll up their jacket sleeves. Key to the image was the Testarossa: the ultimate ’80s dream machine, as pure white as the marching powder the duo spent the show in pursuit of. Prestige car storage for your star car Whatever you drive, at Windrush, we’ll treat your car like an A-lister. Our classic car storage solution is all about attention to detail, from our twelve-step induction to an ongoing programme that includes 24/7 security, twice-daily checks and weekly battery and drip tray inspections. Plus, for our long term car storage customers, we’ll perform a deep maintenance checkover every 60 days – so your car will always be ready for its close-up. To learn more about Windrush’s long term car storage in London and the Cotswolds, get in touch with the team today

Of course, there’s an undeniable charm to a puttering vintage classic. But with automotive technology taking quantum leaps every decade, the ’90s gave us some of the fastest and most finessed models in living memory. Whether you prefer your cars mouthier than a Gallagher brother or sleeker than a supermodel, here are ten modern classics, chosen by the Windrush prestige car storage team, that prove they do make ’em like they used to.           1992 Ford Escort Cosworth Top speed: 147mph, BHP: 224, 0-60: 5.7 A homologation special of the, otherwise lacklustre, fifth generation Ford Escort that competed in the World Rally Championship between 1993 and 1998, this winged weapon was available as a road car from 1992 until 1996 and caused quite a stir. Wide arches, big wings and large turbos made the car wonderfully anti-social; not surprisingly one of its biggest fans was Jeremy Clarkson, who bought one after testing it for Top Gear. 1990 Lamborghini Diablo Top speed: 202mph, BHP: 485, 0-60: 4.5  The Diablo concept started in 1985 and was intended as a replacement for the Countach, with the brief stating that the new car had to have a top speed of at least 315kph (196mph). When Chrysler Corporation bought Lamborghini they softened the original Marcello Gandini design, which infuriated the designer – still, the Diablo launched with a mid-mounted 5.7 V12 and rear wheel drive, becoming an instant icon.  1992 Jaguar XJ220 Top speed: 212.3mph, BHP: 542, 0-60: 4.2 Initial disappointment with the XJ220 has been well-documented. Initially shown as a V12 four-wheel-drive concept, the car was significantly changed when officially launched: 4WD became 2WD and V12 became a turbocharged V6. As a result, an initial order book of 1500 translated into sales of just 275 – though the recession of the ’90s didn’t help matters. Despite this, the XJ220 is now regarded as supercar royalty, its rarity adding to the appeal. And hey, V6 or not, those looks and 212 mph performance make it the stuff of legend.  1998 McLaren F1 Top Speed: 240.1mph, BHP: 627, 0-60: 3.2 The supercar benchmark and still the king, with a spec that included three seats (centre forward for the driver), gullwing doors, gold-plated engine bay and 240 mph. The brainchild of Gordon Murray, the F1 packed a motorsport-derived BMW V12 engine, though (unusually for McLaren at the time), it was designed purely as a road car, and its subsequent success on the track was an added bonus. Exotic construction made up of carbon-fibre, titanium, gold, magnesium and kevlar made for a remarkably light (1138kg) supercar that remains unsurpassed today, and the F1 is still an occasional guest at Windrush’s long term car storage. 1996 Lotus Elise Top Speed: 126mph, BHP: 118, 0-60: 5.8 The Elise may not be the most powerful car to come out of Norfolk, but it was one of the finest-handling cars of modern times. Weighing in at just 725kg the Series 1 Elise was capable of reaching 60mph in just 5.8 seconds, despite having just 118bhp. Designed by Julian Thomson, then Head of Design at Lotus, and Chief Engineer Richard Rackham, the Elise was built for driving with a low centre of gravity, few frills and a raw edge that was an instant success with buyers and headed a turn of fortune at Lotus. So good was the Elise, it has only just stopped production – though the car has seen numerous revisions over the years.  1994 Subaru Impreza Turbo Top Speed 143mph, BHP: 237, 0-60: 6.6 Subaru was, in the UK at least, the favoured wheels of farmers and rural dwellers who needed a rugged, dependable 4WD vehicle. But that all changed in 1994 when the Japanese manufacturer unveiled a turbo variant of their none-too-special Impreza saloon: one year later, Colin McRae would win the 1996 WRC Championship driving a version of the same car. The Impreza WRX offered sports car performance in a family saloon, becoming an instant hit with UK buyers with many cars being modified to very high power outputs. Today, an unmolested, original WRX is hard to find – and demands careful safeguarding with long term car storage – but it will always be a special car to those who know, especially with that flat-4 ‘boxer’ engine note. 1994 Ferrari F355 Top Speed: 183mph, BHP: 375, 0-60: 4.7 One of the prettiest modern Ferraris, the F355 is a heavily revised Ferrari 348 with significant styling and performance enhancements. With a 3.5 V8, peak power was delivered at a heady 8250rpm, and with it came a glorious wail from the longitudinally mounted V8. Improving the aerodynamics (over the 348) saw the F355 spend 1300 hours in the wind tunnel and resulted in a purity of design not seen in today’s world of bulges, scoops and vents. Available in Berlinetta (coupe) Spider and GTS (targa) variants the F355 remains in demand to this day, particularly when fitted with the gated 6-speed manual transmission.  1994 Porsche 993 Top Speed: 168mph, BHP: 300, 0.60: 5.6 (stats for Carrera model) The last of the air-cooled 911s has gained cult status since its demise in 1998 (when the controversial 996 variant replaced it). All 993 models were finely sculpted, almost pure. The base Carrera model lacked the muscular lines of the S and Turbo models but remained unarguably pretty with its unmistakably rear-wheel-drive design. Meanwhile, the 993 gained a light alloy subframe and coil and wishbone suspension (over the outgoing 964), plus a number of engine options, from the aforementioned Carrera to the fire-breathing rivet-arched GT2, capable of 186mph and 0-60 in under 4 seconds. 1995 Nissan Skyline GT-R (R33) Top Speed: 156mph, BHP: 276, 0-60: 5.2 The E-BCNR33 (R33) Skyline was introduced in 1995, following an enviable bloodline of coveted Japanese sports cars. The R33 GT-R arrived in January 1995 as a base model GT-R and V-Spec (the latter was 10kg heavier but came with a newer 4WD system, active limited slip differential and lower ground clearance). A test conducted at the Nürburgring by Best Motoring magazine recorded an 8.01.72 minutes lap (the fastest for a road-legal production car at the time) and the R33 Skyline continues to be a sought-after car around the world. With values rising for standard cars, and even modified examples commanding a high price, it’s a regular at Windrush’s classic car storage, with owners looking to protect that value.  1994 Aston Martin DB7 Top Speed: 155mph, BHP: 330, 0-60: 4.7 Designed by Ian Callum (later known for his work at Jaguar) the 3.2 supercharged six-cylinder DB7 was designed to be an ‘entry level’ Aston positioned below the hand-built V8 Virage – and ended up being the highest-produced Aston Martin ever with 7000 examples rolling off the line. The DB7 was made mostly with resources from Jaguar and had the financial backing of the Ford Motor Company. Remarkably, the DB7 chassis is a re-worked chassis from the Jaguar XJS – in fact, the DB7 design was originally to be a successor to the XJS, and would wear a Jaguar badge. Engineered by TWR on behalf of Aston Martin, the early supercharged six-cylinder cars were phased out in 1999, replaced by the more sought-after V12 engine found in the Vantage, GT and GTA models. Choose Windrush long term car storage for your modern classic This countdown might include some of our favourite visitors to Windrush’s long term car storage facilities in London and the Cotswolds. But we offer prestige car storage solutions for vehicles from every era, and take pride in keeping them in the form of their lives. Whether you own a modern classic from the ’90s, a venerable vintage from the golden age of motoring, or a supercar straight off the line, you can rely on our discreet and professional service. Take a moment to learn about Windrush’s twelve-stage induction process, plus the checkover and maintenance programme that runs like clockwork for the length of your stay. Then get in touch to book long term car storage that sets the gold standard. To learn more about our classic car storage in London and the Cotswolds, just drop us a line on info@windrushcarstorage.co.uk

When paying for your road tax each year, you’ve probably noticed the option on the V11 form of making a SORN (Statutory Off Road Notification). Essentially, this means your vehicle will be kept strictly stationary for the foreseeable future and you therefore don’t want to tax it. But it’s essential to declare this information to the DVLA to avoid a fine – and an ideal time to do so is while your vehicle is being kept in long term car storage. At Windrush, we don’t just pride ourselves on offering the UK’s most respected classic, modern, supercar and EV storage service. We’d also be delighted to handle every last piece of paperwork on your behalf, including registering your vehicle off the road when you visit our state-of-the-art long term car storage facilities in London and the Cotswolds. If you’d like us to handle your SORN – or anything else, for that matter – just let the Windrush team know. But if you’d prefer to look into registering your vehicle offroad yourself, here’s a quick guide to the simple steps involved.