Modified classics
A few years ago when the topic of converted cars came up in
boozers up and down the country, you could be certain any
discussion would centre around a clapped out Ford Escort with a
Richard Grant do it yourself bodykit, Carlos Fandango RoStyle steel
wheels and a dodgy respray in glitter green with a stick on flames
mural. Lovely.
In these enlightened times old habits still die hard and talk of
car conversions will even now conjure up visions of greasy-thumbed
copies of Car Mechanics for those over forty, whilst the younger
guys out there go all dewy eyed at the thought of a Maxed-up
Renault 5 Turbo, slammed to the ground, with a fat pipe rudely
poking out the rear.
Forget all that. Conversions 2007 style are mature affairs, with
manufacturers actually giving their blessing to their favourite
after market tuners, many of whom are vying with each other to
produce the ultimate development of the base model. In many cases,
you’d have to look carefully to spot the fact that these cars have
been under the tuner’s influence at all, so subtle are some of
them.
All this has rather taken the spotlight off the modified classic
scene, but those around when our cars were new will recall a
thriving industry catering for those who wanted just that bit more
from their cars. What’s more, the industry still thrives today,
allowing owners of classic motors a huge range of performance and
aesthetic upgrades limited only by wallet size and imagination. So,
the big question: is buying a modified classic a sound move? We
take a look at the issues:
What is a conversion?
Tuners are companies that specialise in taking a standard
factory car and enhancing the bodywork, the chassis, the engine, or
all three. The conversion work usually carried out after the base
car left the production line, but distinct from the individual who
simply walks into Halfords and bolts on a spoiler or sports
exhaust.
Who does them?
The main players in the modern market concentrate on the German
makes, with companies such as Alpina (BMW approved) and Hartge, AC
Schnitzer and Racing Dynamics and Breyton amongst the non-approved.
Similarly, AMG are Mercedes approved, but Brabus aren’t (although
that doesn’t mean they’re inferior). Don’t get these confused with
manufacturers’ own motorsport divisions – BMW have their M division
and Jaguar and Audi have their R and RS tuning divisions
respectively, but these mainly sell factory tuned mainstream
models.
These in-house divisions are a relatively new invention, whereas
the likes of Alpina and AMG have been tuning BMWs and Mercs
respectively for over 40 years. In 1963, Burkard Bovensiepen, son
of Dr. Rudolf Bovensiepen (founder of Alpina office machines) had
been developing engine modifications on Fiats, but he realised that
customers who had recently purchased BMW’s 1500 model were
disappointed with the introduction of the 1800. He saw an
opportunity and began with development of a Weber twin choke
carburettor for the Neue Klasse 1500 model and the first BMW-Alpina
tuning kit was born.
The Alpina tuning kits raised performance of the 1500 to that of
the newer 1800 and received support of BMW's R&D Department
after they tested it - and BMW's approval meant that the
installation of an Alpina system did not void the BMW warranty.
Suddenly all speed-loving young men wanted a BMW Alpina…
So, in the 60s the tuning fad really took off as people yearned
for greater personal expression and found it in bespoke offerings
from a wide array of tuners. Some names endured, but many did not.
Of those that did, Downton Engineering offered some nice engine
upgrades on MGs and was particularly successful with the MGC,
installing triple carbs and better breathing for a tasty power
increase.
Ken Costello went one better and swapped the ageing four pot
1798cc lump in the MGB for the then-new Rover 3.5 V8, which was
pretty similar in weight, but double the power – a recipe for
serious fun. It took the monolithic British Leyland until 1973 to
wake up to the potential with a factory model – just in time for
the first oil crisis…
In the 70s, companies such as Specialised Engines in Grays,
Essex, were doing a roaring trade in engine swaps for the
notoriously (then) unreliable Triumph Stag. No, not the Rover V8,
but the venerable Ford Essex 2994cc V6. Interestingly, these units
were similar in weight and capacity to the troublesome Triumph V8
and ensured the Stag got further than the first set of traffic
lights before boiling the contents of its radiator. Conversely, the
Rover V8 was lighter than the Stag unit and front suspension rates
needed to be changed if the job was to be done properly, but rarely
was.
Companies such as Crayford specialised in taking bread and
butter cars such as the Cortina and lopping the top off to create
bespoke converytibles. That Crayford survived so long is a
testimony to the quality of their work. If the wind in your hair
wasn’t enough in your Cortina, they would oblige by installing a 3
litre V6 to liven things up. Savage in name and in nature.
Classic tuning today
There are so many firms out there offering everything from small
enhancements aiding driveability to full-blown race conversions
that it would be impossible to cover them all, but the most popular
modifications to classics today revolve around enhancements.
Charles Ware’s Morris Minor Centre in Bath offers a huge range
of upgrades to the venerable Minor which it says make them easier
to use as an everyday proposition in the modern world. Everything
from servo brakes through to a 5 peed gearbox and 1300 engine are
available.
At the other end of the scale, Eagle E-Types have long
specialised in sympathetic upgrades to the iconic Jag and seem to
have targeted all the car’s original weak points such as
overheating and pathetic stopping power to ensure driving in
today’s traffic conditions avoids a nervous breakdown.
MGs are still well-catered for and MG Motorsport in Bovingdon is
one company following the old Downton style of tuning, but with a
modern twist. Proprietor Doug Smith says business has never been
better. “We’re sending out upgraded MGs week in, week out. They’re
selling to customers who want to use their cars every day and
demand tractability”. He goes on: “Of course, we’re happy to
respond to those who want more performance too; we use uprated
cylinder heads, Downton style manifolds, quicker steering racks and
so on, but we keep our cars standard looking so customers get the
best of both worlds”.
Are they reliable?
This very much depends on who has tuned it. Even 40 years ago
approved tuners such as Alpina and AMG worked closely with the
manufacturers to ensure the original product and the tuning work
were harmonious. Wheels, tyres, suspension etc were carefully
tested to the manufacturers’ own tolerances.
Others were not so reverent – witness the 6.0 litre V12 Brabus
shoehorned into the Mercedes SLK. Now, we’re not saying this is an
unacceptable conversion, but there is a substantial amount of work
involved in such a transformation which inevitably means bespoke
components and these can be hard to replace if anything goes wrong
– especially true in the older cars.
Equally, a 2.0 litre Saab 99 tuned out to 200bhp plus will be
far higher stressed than the standard issue, so it will need
careful looking after and is liable to have a shorter life. Still,
the obvious fun factor in either of these examples may be worth
taking the risk.
The rule of the thumb in these cases must be to first look at
the tuner. Is it a reputable name? Then look carefully at what work
has been carried out. A few suspension mods and a mild power
increase will be fine, but a car that’s tuned to double the power
of the standard model should ring the alarm bells unless the rest
of the car has been upgraded too. This can easily be true of turbo
models where they can be chipped uncompromisingly – the Sierra
Cosworth being a prime example.
Bodywork mods such as the Crayford convertibles often does not
stand the test of time too well; ill-fitting hoods and extra welds
see to that and water ingress and rust is often in evidence. Still,
checking against the tin worm is prudent even on standard cars and
if remedial work has been carried out to a good standard, it
needn’t put you off.
Braking upgrades are always worthwhile on any classic and these
are often in evidence on the better conversions.
What about insurance?
You’ll most certainly have to tell your insurers and you’ll find
that the market for insuring conversions is limited. Many insurers
just cherry pick the standard risks so won’t be impressed with the
aforementioned V12 engined SLK. Nor are they likely to be receptive
to a mildly warmed over Alpina BMW 3 Series B3.0 either. Basically,
if it doesn’t appear on their rating list, they’ll often decline.
In such cases, a specialist broker such as Towergate Classic Motor
will be the answer and they will usually ask for a Modified Vehicle
Report to be completed in order to quote a premium.
It is therefore vital you know exactly what has been done to the
car. If you don’t know what has been modified you could risk being
uninsured later. Better known tuners may have a build sheet to
refer to and if not, they may simply keep records of the
conversion. If it’s been carried out by someone you’ve not heard
of, you may be less lucky.
The market’s view
With such a bewildering range of companies and modifications,
how can you be sure what you’re looking at is going to be a sound
investment? The first problem is that converted cars aren’t listed
in any of the guides, so there is no universal starting point for
price.
The second problem (and this applies just as much to the
approved tuners) is that each car is built to the first owner’s
exact specification. This means the possibility of a list of extras
as long as your arm – some useful and many fanciful. All very well,
but how do you value these on the used market?
The answer is there is no hard and fast way to value such
classics, but some general rules do apply. Home made mods are best
avoided if you want to be able to resell later. It’s all very well
if the previous owner decided to stuff an Alfa twin cam into his MG
Midget (yes, we’ve seen one!) but without an engineer’s report
you’re never going to be sure it’s been done properly (or safely)
and the market for such cars is very limited indeed. That
translates to a low price compared to a standard example in good
condition.
Older cars from established tuning houses such as Downton,
Crayford and the like are a better bet and are still very much in
demand these days. They were well-documented at the time and had a
reputation for quality. Take editor Anderson’s old Brabham Viva –
these are so much more sought-after than the standard item today –
mainly down to the name and the quality of the engineering.
Ken Costello’s creations on the MGB theme are likewise still in
demand and fetch commensurately firm prices. We saw one sell for
£15k recently which is pretty strong money. On the other hand, a
private owner buying a do-it-yourself V8 conversion kit and
tackling the conversion at home won’t see the same return. In these
instances it may even be the case that the converted car is worth
less than the model it’s based upon due to uncertainty over
reliability or parts availability.
MG Motorsport’s Doug Smith: “We’ve had cars we’ve sold come back
for resale and they soon find an enthusiastic new owner. People
will pay for quality – but on the other hand there are too many
half-baked conversions out there that shouldn’t be touched with a
bargepole; I know, because we often have to put them right before
starting our own work!”
At the end of the day, provenance is all and this applies to
modified classic in the same way it does the standard issue. There
should be copious documentation of any conversion. If not, treat
any asking price with suspicion.
Our view
It’s a jungle out there! The sheer choice is bewildering, but
that needn’t put you off. Mild upgrades to driveability won’t hurt
too much, but any major conversion, particularly to bodywork, is
bound to limit appeal to the next owner. Whilst there’s much to be
said for a bespoke car that your next door neighbour won’t have,
the price of exclusivity could mean a harder time selling it
on.
If you really must buy a car with modified bodywork, keep to the
established firms and you should have few day to day problems. When
it comes to selling, however, we’d still be wary. All things being
equal, we’d plump for the standard car and save the uncertainty –
they’re more desirable and you shouldn’t have trouble moving it
on.
However, modernising the key mechanicals is a different matter
altogether. This is the whole point of sympathetic upgrades;
anything that allows our classics to be driven more often and in a
wider range of conditions has to be applauded.
Need insurance cover?
Towergate Classic Motor can help find the right classic car insurance
cover for your motor vehicle. Call us today on 0870 990
6060 for a quote.