It is no surprise to hard-pressed motorists that real difficulties are being caused to both private motorists and businesses, due to the current extreme and artificially high prices of fuel. According to a poll carried out recently by FairFuel UK (which is campaigning for more affordable petrol and diesel prices in Britain), the impact of current fuel prices is significantly adverse, across the … [Read more...]
Features by Kim Henson
In life, sometimes there are things that you just have to do. In my case many of them relate to my twin loves of 1) motoring, and 2) using writing to convey to others (and share with) my fascination for the subject.
I have been passionate about cars for as long as I can remember, and have always had a thirst for knowledge concerning how and why they work, and how to keep them operating as they should. In addition, I’ve always enjoyed driving, and trying to fairly assess and compare the various good and bad points of different makes and models.
Classic car tax concession
Way back in the 1990s, the government changed the road tax rules so that vehicles over 25 years old qualified for a zero rate of road fund licence (‘Vehicle Excise Duty’). This helped owners who, in general, covered relatively few miles in their older cars, and helped to encourage the preservation of ‘modern classics’. The exemption was sensibly applied on a ‘rolling’ basis, so that as vehicles … [Read more...]
Dacia Sandero and Duster
Cheap and Cheerful? Kim Henson tries two models from the Dacia line-up. Readers with long memories may remember the brief foray of Dacia into the UK market, back in the 1980s. At that time the cars sold here were inexpensive variants based on the Renault 12 of the 1970s. (Despite their low prices, they sold in low numbers here; for many buyers concerns about build quality, reliability and … [Read more...]
100 Years of Car Making at Oxford
Today BMW MINIs are produced at ‘Plant Oxford’, but vehicle production started there over 100 years ago, on 28th March 1913, when the first car built at the site, a Bullnose Morris Oxford, emerged. Oxford was home to the well-respected Morris company (started by William Morris) for many years. To date, nearly 11,700,000 cars have been produced at the Oxford site. In addition to the 2,250,000 … [Read more...]
Seat Leon (third generation)
Kim Henson samples the angular newcomer from Seat… Ever since 1998, Seat’s Leon (the company’s first ‘C’ sector model to be produced under Volkswagen ownership) has been liked and respected as a competent hatchback incorporating sporting characteristics, while retaining everyday practicality for family use. Britain is the largest export market for the Leon, and increasing … [Read more...]
Accessible Classics No. 1 – Austin A30/A35
(sub-titled ‘Enjoying Your Austin’) by Kim Henson This is a comprehensive, high quality 224 page all-colour hardback book, covering all aspects of model history, buying, looking after and having fun with your baby Austin. It also includes a section to inspire you if you have a rough example in need of work… It is available direct from the publishers, Classic Car Publishing Ltd, Evergreen … [Read more...]
Nissan LEAF
Amidst much debate about the best way forward for electrically-powered cars, Kim Henson test drives a Nissan LEAF. HISTORY In recent times, increasingly high fuel prices, plus escalating concern over vehicle emissions, have helped to persuade motor manufacturers to revisit electric propulsion as a viable alternative to using the internal combustion engine. It may come as a surprise to some, … [Read more...]
Light bulbs
Have you ever struggled to change a time-expired bulb on a vehicle? Well, if ever there’s an area that drives me up the wall in terms of manufacturers not thinking straight, it’s in the lighting department. Now we all know that it is a legal requirement for the lamps on a vehicle to function as designed. In addition, a bulb that’s ‘died’ can be seriously dangerous. For example, a car with only … [Read more...]
Triumph Herald
Featuring a separate chassis, under-stated good looks, ultra-easy engine access for maintenance, and all-round independent suspension, Triumph’s Herald has much going for it as a user-friendly, attractive classic. Kim Henson elaborates… Arriving on the UK motoring scene in 1959, the Triumph Herald was a new compact, stylishly angular car from Standard-Triumph, and effectively replaced the … [Read more...]
Footman James South and West Mini Show and Great Western Autojumble
Cold, wet weather over a February weekend didn’t deter classic enthuiasts from driving their treasured cars to the Royal Bath and West Showground at Shepton Mallet… Kim Henson was there. The various popular classic Footman James events held at Shepton Mallet are enjoyed by many enthusiasts from across the south west of the UK (and further afield), and the first one of the year 2013 was no … [Read more...]
Mitsubishi Outlander
Kim Henson samples the latest SUV from Mitsubishi… Since 2001, Mitsubishi has sold 950,000 Outlanders around the world, and the version introduced in Britain in 2007 has proved to be a popular machine with buyers here. I drove this model at its launch, and I was impressed then by its road manners, practicality and overall competence. Six years down the line, and Mitsubishi has upped the game … [Read more...]
Morris Minor 1000
One of the best loved British classic cars of all time, the Morris Minor/1000 still makes a great deal of sense in the 21st Century. Kim Henson takes a look... It is now 65 years since the Morris Minor was launched as a thoroughly modern small car, which (engine excepted), at the time, it was. Replacing the Morris Eight Series E as the smallest model in the Morris line-up of family cars, the … [Read more...]
Ford Anglia 105E/123E
Ford’s highly successful small car of the late 1950s/1960s proved to be a much-loved family favourite, and if you buy an Anglia today, you will find that the car brings back happy memories for many people. Ford Motor Company’s product planning approach was radically revised in the 1950s, and the first model to benefit fully was the Anglia 105E, which was announced in October 1959. The newcomer … [Read more...]
MG Midget (and Austin Healey Sprite), 1961 to 1979
Affordable, fun to drive and easy-to-own classic sports cars, the Midget and Sprite still live up to their original design brief. Kim Henson tells all… Adorned by the famous MG badge, Midgets (together with equivalent Austin Healey Sprite models) are budget-priced classic sports cars offering much more hood-down fun per mile than their size and performance potential might suggest. Even today … [Read more...]
Austin Cambridge A55 Mark II/A60, Morris Oxford Series V/VI (‘Family’ Farina Models)
As British in character as a Sunday roast, but with a hint of Italian styling flair, the Cambridge models from Austin, and equivalent Oxfords from Morris, were respected in their time, and make effective ‘family’ classics today. Kim Henson investigates… As the 1960s beckoned, angular styling and pointed rear fins were all the rage. Echoing this trend, the popular ‘mainstream’ Austin and … [Read more...]
Jaguar XJ6/XJ12 and Daimler Sovereign Double Six (to 1986)
Graceful, fast, roomy and supremely comfortable, early Jaguar XJs and equivalent Daimlers can provide you with a great deal of classic car for your money. However, to win in this respect you need to take great care to purchase a genuinely good example. Kim Henson is your guide to these iconic British sports saloons. Arriving on the British motoring scene in 1968, the Jaguar XJ6 four door saloon … [Read more...]
Austin A30/A35
The ‘baby’ Austin Seven helped to keep the Austin Motor Company in business through the 1920s, and the stature of this diminutive icon grew throughout the 1930s. During the 1950s the original Seven’s successors, the A30s and A35s, built further on the success of their pre-War counterparts. Kim Henson tells the story… In the aftermath of the Second World War, the Austin Motor Company introduced … [Read more...]
Volkswagen Golf (third generation) Ecomatic 1.9 Diesel
Kim Henson goes back to the future in a fascinating Golf... Such is the rate of change in terms of technologies built into the latest cars, that I feel often it is useful to drive an older model to appreciate just how much things have altered. In any case, as friends and colleagues will testify, I need little excuse to drive any part of automotive history! To me, a car built in 1994 is not … [Read more...]
VW Golf
First impressions of the seventh generation of Volkswagen's trusted family favourite. Kim Henson drives three of the new models, and samples an ahead-of-its-time Mark III version from 1994… Please click on the images below to read about each version test-driven: If you were around in 1974, I expect you will have changed a bit – but most likely you’re still much the same at … [Read more...]
Peugeot 308 e-HDi
Kim Henson appraises Peugeot’s popular family hatchback, in super-frugal e-HDi form. It’s laudable, of course, to build a family-friendly car that, on paper at least, also does its bit both for the environment and running costs, in terms of low emissions and excellent fuel economy respectively. However, two pertinent questions arise. First, how well do the various technologies incorporated … [Read more...]