They’re basically saying these cars are meant for fun, not for commuting every day. That’s important because a car can be a great weekend toy but still be annoying or impractical for daily use.
The MGB roadster is a classic British convertible sports car. It’s popular with enthusiasts because it’s relatively simple and fun to drive, and this episode is using one as an example of a cheap 1970s buy.
Overdrive is an additional gear ratio (or gear setting) that lets the engine spin more slowly at cruising speeds. On cars like the MGB, it’s often paired with a manual gearbox to make highway driving less buzzy and typically more efficient.
Those are bumpers designed to handle a small, low-speed crash. They were added because of safety rules, and on some classic cars they made the front and rear look bulkier than earlier models.
They’re basically saying: don’t trust the surface. With cars this old, you need to assume there could be hidden problems and check carefully before buying.
Car
Lotus +2
The Lotus +2 is a classic Lotus from the 1970s that’s basically a roomier version of the smaller Lotus two-seater. The hosts are saying it looks and feels different than the original, and that changed how people viewed it.
“Re-bodied” means the car got a new body shape or body panels. It can change how the car looks and how it fits, even if the main mechanical parts are related.
A backbone chassis is a car frame design that uses one strong central beam (like a spine). It helps support the car’s structure, and it can affect how easy it is to update or replace parts of the frame.
“Twin cam” means the engine uses two camshafts to control the valves. “Big valve” means the valves are larger than usual, which can help the engine breathe better.
This is a 1970s Chevrolet Corvette Stingray (the C3 generation). It’s famous for being a classic American V8 sports car, and the hosts are talking about how different versions drive differently.
LT1 is the name of a particular Chevrolet V8 engine. The point here is that this Corvette has a stronger, more desirable engine than some other versions from the same era.
A limited-slip diff helps prevent one wheel from spinning uselessly when you’re turning or accelerating. It helps the car put power down more evenly, which makes it feel more stable in corners.
A manual gearbox is the kind where you change gears yourself with a clutch pedal and shifter. The host likes it because it makes the car feel more connected to the driver.
“High output” just means the engine is set up to make more power than the standard version. In this case, it’s part of why the car is more fun to drive.
Suspension is what keeps the tires planted and controls how the car moves over bumps and while turning. The host is saying this Corvette’s suspension makes it handle much better than you’d expect.
The Renault Twingo is a small, practical city car. The hosts are basically saying: for similar money, you could buy something newer and cheaper instead of an older sports car.
The 1968 Dodge Charger is a classic American muscle car, and the “440 RT” refers to the big-block 440 cubic-inch V8 paired with the RT performance trim. “Triple black” is an enthusiast shorthand for an all-black look (typically black exterior, black interior, and black accents), which is why it’s a highly desirable spec.
The BMW 2002 is a compact, rear-wheel-drive “sports sedan” from the 1960s/1970s era that became a classic enthusiast platform. In this segment, it’s specifically discussed as a modified example, with the hosts debating whether it’s a BMW 2002 (they dismiss “two 002” as a mislabel).
“Lowered” means the car has been set up to sit closer to the road than it did from the factory. It often looks sportier, but it can make the ride harsher and cause more issues on rough roads.
A “track day” is when people drive their cars on a race track instead of normal roads. The comment implies this BMW looks like it’s been modified for that kind of harder driving.
Wheels and tires are the parts that actually touch the road. If they’re “non-standard,” it can change how the car grips, rides, and steers compared to how it came from the factory.
The Alfa Romeo Giulia is an Italian car that was a direct competitor to the BMW 2002. The hosts bring it up to show who BMW was going up against when the 2002 was new.
A “two-liter engine” means the engine is about 2.0 liters in size. Bigger displacement usually means more potential for power, and here it’s used to describe how the BMW 2002 evolved from earlier smaller engines.
The Land Rover Series II is an older, rugged Land Rover model known for off-road capability. The hosts are just checking whether the car they’re looking at is truly that Series II version.
Topic
1970s sports cars best buys
This part of the episode is about finding good-value classic cars. They use Land Rover Series models to explain why some older vehicles become expensive collector items.
Body-on-frame means the car has a sturdy frame underneath, and the body is attached to it. It’s a common approach for rugged vehicles meant to do real work.
A bulkhead is a strong metal wall inside the car that helps hold the body together. If it’s rusted or damaged, it can mean the car’s structure is in bad shape.
The Jaguar E-Type is an older sports car from Jaguar that’s famous for its looks. People like it because it has a classic, stylish design and it drives like a sports car. The podcast is also talking about how it can be a good buy-and-sell collectible.
They’re basically saying: don’t judge a classic car by how it looks. Check the frame/chassis underneath, then take it for a drive to see if anything feels wrong.
Wheelbase is how far apart the front and rear wheels are. A short wheelbase usually makes the car feel more agile, but it can also feel less stable than a longer one.
The Ford Mustang Boss 302 is a 1960s-era performance Mustang built around the 302 V8, known for its racing-inspired tuning and strong enthusiast following. In this segment, the hosts focus on a specific listing described as a genuine Boss car with a manual gearbox, which is a big part of why it’s valuable.
A four-speed manual means you shift gears yourself using a clutch. On older performance cars, having the correct gearbox can be a big deal for authenticity.
When a seller says “genuine,” they usually mean it’s the real, original version they claim—not a modified or copied car. That matters because it affects what the car is worth and whether it’s truly authentic.
The quarter-mile is a common drag-racing test where cars accelerate over a distance of one quarter of a mile. It’s a way to compare how fast different cars get up to speed.
Short gearing means the transmission ratios are set so the engine spins faster for a given road speed. That usually helps acceleration, but it can also mean the engine runs out of revs sooner.
Emissions legislation is government regulation meant to reduce pollution from cars. The host is saying that those rules made engines less powerful in the early 1970s compared with 1970.
Term
neutered
“Neutered” is slang for “made weaker.” In this context, it means the Mustang lost some of its punch because of emissions rules and related changes.
Fuel injection is a way of delivering fuel to the engine using electronic controls instead of a carburetor. The hosts are saying the CSI’s fuel injection makes it a better, easier-to-live-with version than the CS.
A homologation special is a production car built (or modified) to meet racing eligibility rules, so the manufacturer can compete in a specific series. In this segment, the BMW 3.0CSL is described as the homologation special that enabled BMW’s touring-car racing program.
Rust is metal corrosion, and on older cars it can spread and get expensive to fix. The hosts warn that these BMW E9 coupes are prone to rust in multiple areas.
The Ferrari 308 GTB is a classic 1970s Ferrari with a V8 engine in the middle of the car. The hosts are saying that an early version of it is especially interesting because it used fiberglass body panels, which helped it avoid rust and made those cars more desirable.
“Vetrol resina” is Italian for fiberglass, and in this context it’s describing the Ferrari 308’s early fiberglass bodywork. The hosts explain that these early cars used fiberglass instead of steel, which helped them resist rust and also reduced weight.
Fiberglass is a man-made material used for car body panels. In this case, the hosts say early Ferrari 308s used fiberglass instead of steel, so they were lighter and less prone to rust, which makes them more collectible.
The Peugeot 308 is a compact car made by Peugeot. The podcast mentions that some very early versions used fiberglass body parts. That’s just a different way of building the car’s outer panels.
They’re talking about how many exhaust outlets the car has. Some Ferrari 308s came with one exhaust pipe, but many people chose a four-pipe option—so a car without the four pipes can be notable for originality.
A front chin spoiler is a small lip at the bottom front of the car. It’s there to help the airflow under the car and it also helps the car look “right” for that model.
The Ferrari 308 GTB is a classic Ferrari sports car. It has a V8 engine, and the podcast mentions that this model uses fuel injection. It’s brought up because it’s a well-known Ferrari that people want to own.
Fuel injection is how the car delivers fuel to the engine using electronics. Here, the hosts are saying that when the 308 GTB got fuel injection, it didn’t perform as well as you’d hope.
A four-valve head means the engine uses four valves per cylinder to let air in and exhaust out. The hosts are saying that this breathing improvement is part of why the QV version feels stronger.
“Mid-engine” means the engine sits closer to the middle of the car, not out front. That usually changes how the car feels to drive, and a V8 is just the engine type with eight cylinders.
The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a high-end luxury car made for a very comfortable ride. It’s meant for people who want a big, premium sedan experience, especially for long trips. The podcast mentions it in the context of how it used to feel more like a limousine.
The Pantera is a sports car made by De Tomaso. The podcast mentions it has a large 5.8-liter engine and that it can cost a lot of money. It’s being highlighted as a sensational-looking, high-performance classic.
Some European “exotic” car makers used American engines because they were cheaper and easier to get. The idea was: build the fancy body and handling, then use a big proven V8 to make it quick.
A pushrod V8 is a type of V8 engine design where the camshaft uses rods to open the valves. It’s common in American vehicles, and the host is saying that “common” can also mean dependable.
A four-cam V12 is a fancy engine setup with 12 cylinders and multiple camshafts to control the valves. The host uses it as the “dream exotic engine” that some people expect instead of a more ordinary V8.
A Ford V8 Sedan is a classic Ford car with a V8 engine and a regular closed sedan body. The podcast is talking about how people notice the engine type—like a Ford V8—when they expected something else. It’s mainly about explaining what’s under the hood.
Flared wheel arches are widened parts around the wheel openings. They usually make the car look more aggressive and can allow for wider tires.
Term
Daytona seats
“Daytona seats” means a particular type of seat design that’s associated with Ferrari’s Daytona cars. People like them because they look right for the era and can be a desirable upgrade.
“Ferrari Dino” is a Ferrari model line that’s known for being a bit more focused and charming than the brand’s biggest, most powerful cars. People like them for their look, feel, and personality.
The Ferrari F40 is a landmark 1980s supercar known for its raw, driver-focused character and for being one of Ferrari’s most iconic “last of the old-school” designs. The speaker uses it as a reference point for what they’d want to own.
Concept
least powerful Ferrari road car
They’re saying the Dino is the least powerful Ferrari you can buy as a road car, compared with other Ferraris. But they’re also implying that it can still be great to drive even without top power.
Term
2.4 litre v6 engine
This is the engine size and layout: it’s a V6, meaning six cylinders arranged in a V shape, with a total displacement of 2.4 liters. The hosts are highlighting it as the reason the car feels special to drive.
A V6 has two rows of cylinders that meet in a V shape. The “65-degree” part is the angle between those rows, and the hosts say Ferrari picked that angle for practical reasons—mainly to fit bigger carburetors.
The Ferrari F50 is a later Ferrari supercar that people sometimes describe as having Formula 1 roots. The speaker is saying that, in reality, the connection is more marketing than direct engineering lineage.
Term
spun to nearly 8000
This means the engine could rev up to almost 8,000 RPM. The speaker is pointing out that, back then, that was unusually high for a car like this.
Car
Ferrari 206
The Ferrari 206 is an early Ferrari sports car with the engine placed in the middle of the car. The hosts mention it to show that even early mid-engine Ferraris could be fun and easy to drive, not just scary.
Car
Ferrari 246
The Ferrari 246 is an early Ferrari sports car with the engine in the middle. In this discussion, it’s the key example of how an old-school mid-engine Ferrari can still be controllable and enjoyable to drive.
A sub-brand is a separate brand identity created under a larger brand umbrella. Here, the hosts explain that Ferrari wanted to launch a Dino sub-brand to sell a “cheaper” model without diluting the main Ferrari brand’s image and pricing power.
Dino Ferrari is a name Ferrari used for a separate line of cars. It’s tied to Enzo Ferrari’s son, and the branding helped Ferrari keep the main Ferrari name exclusive.
This is a Porsche 911 that uses a 2.7-liter engine and was built in an “RS” performance style, but with a “touring” setup meant to be easier to live with. The idea is: still special and fast, but more practical for long drives.
Homologated means “approved under the rules.” It can affect whether a car is legal to register and drive in a country, and sometimes whether it can be used in racing.
Here, “replicas” means cars that are made to resemble the real Porsche RS, not the original factory-built version. The warning is to check authenticity carefully because replicas can be sold like the real thing.
Left-hand drive means the steering wheel is on the left. In the UK, most cars are right-hand drive, so left-hand-drive versions can be less wanted by collectors.
“Touring” here means the car is set up more for comfort and everyday driving than for being as light and track-focused as possible. Collectors often prefer the rare lightweight versions.
The Aston Martin DB5 is a classic luxury sports car made by Aston Martin. It’s known for being expensive and highly desirable. The podcast brings it up as something someone might buy after paying a lot of money.
They’re saying classic-car prices and interest can go through cycles. What people want right now might not be what they want later, and the trend could swing back.
They’re basically saying: don’t buy an old car only because you think it will make money. Buy something you’d still be happy to own, even if you can’t sell it easily later.
The BMW 3.0 CSL is a classic 1970s BMW that was made with racing in mind. People love it because it looks and drives like a track car, and it has a strong motorsport history.
LIVE
Welcome back to the intercooler podcast everybody the podcast powered by car finance specialist
JBR Capital Dan Proser and Andrew Frankel with you here. We're playing a game today
Andrew. It's called Andrew Frankel flies blind. It is you have no idea what's coming. We do
this occasionally though I troll the classifieds and I I pick a theme and I choose a bunch
of cars. Yeah and I make a fool of myself and I and I show you these cars on our screen
here if you're watching and by the way you can now watch this podcast it's on YouTube
you can just listen if that's what you prefer doing and we will describe the cars for those
you're not watching yeah and can't therefore see the screen we will tell you what they
are. We will. So I've chosen I think it's 12 cars and I'm going to show you those cars
one by one and we're just going to have a little chat about them. I'm random selection
or are they are they themed around a certain age or they are they are all 1970s enthusiast
oh okay oh I'm happier already. I chose the 70s because I think it's an era that we don't
talk about that often and actually on a not as much as I'd like so okay and on a recent
podcast we had a brief discussion about peak car yeah I think very few people talk about
the 1970s. Cars weren't fundamentally reliable then I think I think the only thing we had
a big debate didn't we about someone suggesting there was no such thing as a bad car anymore
which I absolutely refute but the one thing I think you can say that has changed fundamentally
about cars is that generally speaking they do tend to get you where you're going yeah
in a way that could never be guaranteed even with quite new cars of that sort of age which
I think is but also I think that you know I'm 60 now so you know I was only 14 when
the 70s ended okay and I'm quite old so you know for most people it's not really in their
memory banks you know most people listening to this either won't have been alive in the
70s or won't remember the 70s that well I just about do because I was four when they
started which is basically when my conscious memory started but yeah I think we I think
we have to I mean I would love because I'm really interested in the era to spend much
more time talking about pre-war stuff but I know that everybody else is their eyes just
glaze over and so we don't do it with very few exceptions so yeah so I don't think peak
cars in the 70s but I'm looking forward to talking about all those cars that were from
then anyway well what I've realized is that I mean it's not an era that I know a great
deal about but just doing this research and picking through some of these cars there's
a lot of stuff in here that I find really quite enticing so okay now these cars all
for sale somewhere they're all for sale okay and we've got a huge spread of prices excellent
I think so we'll start with the first one okay cheapest car in the lot hang on and just
before I look to find out what this is what was I gonna say it's great that they're gonna
come from a while and I think the thing to say is that these are all by definition going
to be recreational vehicles these are all going to be toys no one's using any of these as
daily drivers which is one of the big sort of caveats that when we do this with more
modern stuff we sort of say oh well yes I mean fine for a Sunday afternoon but you wouldn't
want to be a daily driver I'm not going to do any of that no no there's no qualifying
there's all toys okay let's play okay number one okay I'll describe it to everyone who's
not watching it's cheap a lovely little tell you what it is definitely cheap yeah a lovely
little mgb roadster it's I mean that is a very 1970s color isn't it sort of orange slightly
burnt orange actually looks quite a different color in the engine bay doesn't it looking
at it there now it's got those I would describe them those mini light wheels that's what they
look like mini like like wheels okay yeah this is up which is completely
wrong this is up for 5999 pounds so here we go we can learn a little bit more about it
it's a 1972 car it's done 126,000 miles yeah mileage mileage of these cars tend to be pretty
meaningless okay I finished in the eye catching tangerine orange okay says the description
full speed manual gearbox with overdrive or not don't know okay don't know probably not then
so I mean I just want to hear a little bit about the mgb because what struck me here was the price
six grand yeah and if that's a good serviceable drivable car what a brilliant way to get into
sort of classic car ownership if you haven't done it before yeah I mean you've got a you've got to
want that paint color if you're not watching this I'm colorblind even I can see it's pretty vivid
yeah those wheels are not original I think it would have had
1972 I think they still would have had wire wheels it would have been pre big bumper
the mgb's of the sort of mid 70s and late 70s where their look was ruined because they had these
five mile an hour impact bumpers and they were just really ugly mgb when it came out in I think 1962
was a really good car it was the sort of quintessential British sports car affordable not
that fast but fun pretty robust I mean those engines go and I mean not thrilling
like a lotus a land would be thrilling but not the same sort of price more practical could do
distances you could put your other half in the passenger seat and he or she wouldn't
need be crying foul within two miles just I agree they're not massively thrilling to to drive
but if what you want is an affordable way to bimble about the other thing about those cars is
they made so many their bits are plentiful yeah lots of specialists will know exactly what to do
if it's not full of rot and I think particularly with cars when the from the 70s when manufacturers
did used to be very what's the word they didn't tend to necessarily use the best metal to build
the cars and I think with all these cars if we can just preface this entire podcast with
buyer beware yeah I don't want to have to say it with every single one but it's obvious if you're
buying a car which is a minimum of 46 years old you know it's going to have had a lot yeah of
course and you know physics being physics metal you know the metal that made that car originally
was never designed to last for that period of time there is where there is tear cars get crash
all sorts of things happen so with all these cars go into with your eyes open and just because I
sit there and coup about and say what's a lovely thing doesn't mean you should go and buy one at
all but with this car you know with this mgb six grand I mean unless there's something we don't know
about it and on the surface it looks quite clean I mean how far on can you go I know yeah so if you're
a classic car you can't go far wrong with six grand assuming this thing is unreasonable nick
I just I thought that it was really interesting I mean you could you could spend that on an electric
bicycle these days very easily I know because I've got to make you just did yeah really six grand
well maybe not quite that much but but you certainly can spend six grand on an electric
bicycle you can't I'd rather an mgb let's move on to the next one then I can't remember the order
okay so there's a sort of certain random element for you to absolutely okay surprise car oh okay
this is a again I think that's the sort of burgundy lotus a land plus two yeah I remember
following one of these recently and I was kind of confused I knew it was a lotus but I didn't know
what it was well they re-bodied it for the plus two okay I never liked well it's not true it's not
I didn't like the look of the plus two it looks completely different to a normal a land but it's
that I love the original land so much it is so clean it's so small yeah those those are lands
always suffered they always lived in the shadows of the of the two-seater lands which were just
prettier and nicer and open and lovely and these ones were heavier and compromised and
less attractive I think if they just sort of come out with this car and the two-seat one hadn't
existed I think it would probably have had a better press than it than it did have I've never
driven one so I can't really tell you what they're like does it say whether it's had a new chassis
on it it doesn't I don't believe no I mean that's probably because these cars were built around
backbone chassis so I think the most older lands would have had another chassis I think you know I
Lotus make their own chassis for them I think there's a company called Spyder which make
very good chassis for them so I would how much is it it's up for
13995 and which engine has got a big valve engine alert yeah 1.6 big valve twin cam okay okay so
130 horsepower so 1974 car 115,000 miles yeah it'll never be a valuable car
hmm it's not going to be one of those things that's going to be worth 30 grand this time
next year just isn't and I'm so I've not driven one so I can't really tell you what they're
like to knock about in so it's not really a car for me because if I had one of those I would
only just just think about the land that I really want yeah okay are those much more valuable yes
proper lands proper lands so this is um I wouldn't recognize it as in a land if it didn't say it
right there but it's a slightly unusual looking car this one's a deep burgundy with a silver roof
it's a coupe and quite droopy styling the nose and tail drop away don't they so it's it looks a bit
pop-up headlights pop-up headlights um but you know if you if you don't mind that it's not the right
to land it's not a huge amount of money still is it and it's a it's a proper classic interesting
unusual little car yeah but it's a sort of it's a compromise lotus isn't it you want to
lotus to be as light and as dry as focused as possible and that isn't yeah particularly because
there was another one which which it was based upon which was so a nice idea but not for me
okay let's do another one then again I have no idea what the order is Andrew has even less of an idea
oh wow I would call that is that um candy apple red it's a chevrolet corvette stingray yeah um
is that a c3 this is a well it's a 1973 car yeah c3 um it's done 102 000 miles yeah uh it's an
automatic yeah is that a problem yeah well it's not a problem I just rather had a stick yeah
uh it's a it's a coupe 5.8 liter v8 it'll be a 5.7 but anyway okay um but there we I mean
so this one's up for 18950 just less than 19 grand do you know what even that I think is
I don't have no idea what these things are like to drive but it looks a million dollars that car
okay I've been ruined yeah because I've driven Richard Bremners yeah I'll contribute to Richard
Bremner um has the best corvette of this era um it's an LT1 so it's got that engine in it um the
high output engine it's got a manual gearbox it's got a limited slip diff in it it's got proper
suspension and drive that and you won't believe how well an america you you look at that I certainly
look at that I think oh american sports car 1970s it's going to fall over if you so much look at a
corner um and and Richard's car I mean the steering is very light and it's one of those
kind of cars that you sort of aim at the corner rather than hell yeah exactly um but it's a very
charming thing to to drive um because this car won't have all those bits on it I would think that's a
very entertaining cruise mobile a car to be seen in a car to listen to because it'll make a fantastic
noise but I think if you tried to drive it in an enthusiastic way I think you would find its
limits and indeed limitations very quickly indeed I think it looks superb it does look super
sharky nose it's got those prominent arches with the crease front to back yeah it's a cool looking
car you could spend the same money on a new electric Renault Twingo you could you absolutely
could and a new electric Renault Twingo I'm sure is a very cheap car yeah I think that's like if you
had a shed full of yeah unimportant stuff yeah that's like a fourth or fifth car yeah um
and I'm just trying to think of the sort of journey um you're going to go see some friends
of the weekend and they are 45 miles away so by the time you've taken to the pub or whatever
you'll do 100 miles over the course of the weekend I think you'll enjoy that yeah a lot
is what it's not good for is popping to your local or taking to Scotland no okay I wouldn't
want to do either apart from anything else the fuel bills on the way to Scotland would just be
unbelievable um but pretty robust fiberglass bodies so they went rot um and I think a cheap
and plentiful source of supply as pairs as well so for a certain sort of person I'm
of whom I'm afraid I am absolutely not one of but for I think for a certain sort of person
I think that could be quite a charm thing is if I had one of those I'd just want a 68 charger
oh would you yeah if you're gonna go down the american muscle route
I just want a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 rt triple black ideally um you did write about that car
I did yeah you and I know two people who haven't which is really annoying and certainly I'm not one
of them not yet so I yeah that I would just think of the american muscle car that I would really want
rather than the one that I had okay um let's do another one then uh now oh I think this it looks
like it's been modified this one just a bit doesn't look entirely standard this is a would you say
bmw 2002 or a two 002 uh either I would say 2002 but I wouldn't I wouldn't get upset somebody called
it a two 002 okay it's a sort of unusual off white gray kind of color yeah but it's been massively
lowered yeah it looks lower someone's taken the bumpers off it yeah put the very non-standard
wheels and tires on it I mean it looks a bit like someone's gone halfway to triage in the track day
car and then thought better of it it does this is up for 29 990 that's a lot of money yeah it does
seem a lot it's a 1975 car 92 and a half thousand miles um is it a t it's not a ti is it it doesn't
say that it is no and it would if it were yeah okay but what what's 2002 like I mean are they
2002 is when they came out so their big competition were the sort of the alpha the alfettas um and
yeah alpha julias and that sort of thing so this was the ultimate development of the original
bmw noir class yeah car came out in 1961 and say bmw and they got developed um through the 1500
and then became the 1602 and the 2002 two-liter engine um really good car um very robust quite
good fun to drive the one you want is well there's a ti uh and then there was a ti i and the ti i 125
horsepower about eight and a half seconds to 60 120 miles an hour in its day proper performance
alone proper performance alone and of course there was the insane 2002 turbo there but that's
that's actually quite a well it's a very niche car um and not very practical um I don't really
know what this I mean this just calls itself 2002 so I presume it's got a carburetor engine and I
just want to understand they don't mention it for what I can see from the description why it is the
way that it is um there's very little information about this car because it's clearly very can we
see a picture of the interior I'm sorry people are listening I don't have one okay um but it's
it's as I said it looks like a car that's been made into a track day car but if that's what's
happened why would they not mention that in the description I'd want to know an awful lot more
about it and also it seems to me to be quite expensive I um I love the idea of a little
BMW coupe from that era something light rear drive balanced peppy engine um yeah and if
but would you just want the alpha I just want the alpha yeah I just want I'd want a an alpha
gtv um which is kind of that but much better looking yeah um even better handling probably
not quite I was just in its body certainly not not as robust um but no I just I just want a
alpha I'd want a 2000 a 2002 ti is a really good car but these days you would pay for you you do
pay accordingly I'm sure um let's move it on this is a bit of you then don't know what you're talking
about so this is a Land Rover series two what's that color called that's not a series two isn't it
no what you despite the description what year is it it's a 1970 well then it might be but
oh it's a series two a okay that's why so it's a it's a two a so it looks like a series three so the
the point being is the headlights are not in the grille they're on the wings okay yeah what what's
that color called I mean it's a very traditional Land Rover color is that you're asking a color
blind person about what color car is that's true and so okay when when Land Rover did a few heritage
addition cars yes the final defenders yes um they were painted this color it's a sort of
sagey mint green um quite an attractive color is it beige it's the wheels are beige the hood is
beige okay um so this is a uh it's up for 34995 which is quite punchy to me um it's great news for me
it means my car might be worth something uh yeah so so I'm sure you know there's something
banging on about this but I have a series three um which is actually quite late series three mines
in 1981 but the series three came out in 1973 uh and this is a series two a which looks from the
outside like a series three but was still by presuming have the original series two interior
anyway there you go so what why are these cars commanding if it sells for anything like this 35
thousand oh because they've become fashion accessories that's why they've just become
really cool things to be seen about in I mean mine it's and mine's still a working car mine
spends its life carting sheep about the place and dragging huge amounts of wood from one place to
another um but um yeah they're just I mean they're just cool cars it's it's interesting isn't it that
a car that was only ever designed to be a stop gap um and was the opposite of a car designed with
fashion and style in mind has become a fashion and style icon and I think it is because it is
perceived to be so authentic I always say on this podcast that um the cars I love most are cars that
know what they are for and that is the ultimate example of that it is totally utilitarian yeah
there's nothing on it which is there for any other reason than the purpose that it happens
to serve and people buy into the authenticity because that's what it is um so what do you
think the chassis was in I'd hope it had another chassis on it by this stage yeah lovingly restored
to its former glory it says yeah that's meaningless isn't it it is um absolute mean I'd want to make
sure they had a new chassis make want to make sure that it had a new bulkhead um is it a two and
a quarter petrol I guess it is yeah it was just two point three so that is a two and a quarter
petrol so those engines get run and um I would be careful because people are
very well aware that you can pick up because they're actually still quite plentiful you
know old series 3s and series 2a's and that sort of thing and you can pick them out of fields and
for relatively little money because the bits are very affordable still and there are so many supplies
that you can make them look very nice yeah for not much money and then sell them on for a lot of
money um so just because I used to say this about e-type jaguars a lot um just because a car looks
nice doesn't mean that it is nice uh now the good news about these sorts of cars is they're not very
complex um you know if you took someone along to have a look at this who knew Land Rover's a bit
it wouldn't take them long to figure out whether it was as good as it looks um yeah because they
would look underneath it they'd look at the state of the chassis they'd look under the bonnet they
take it for a drive they'd know how they should drive and if it didn't they you know the warning
bells would sound so I think it looks lovely um uh the soft top is great you can get a hard top for
it and they're interchangeable uh it's a bit of a it's a bit of a faff um but it absolutely can be
done um it's obviously a short wheelbase it was an 88 inch wheelbase nice car if you like that sort
of thing yeah yeah but it's all the money I mean that is I'd certainly want to have a look around
because what is it 34 000 pounds 35 just under yeah yeah I mean quite punchy isn't that
you can ask what you like aren't you but I wouldn't necessarily pay that much for it
okay what's next right Ford Mustang Boss 302 uh five liter four speed manual genuine it says
so this appears to be a genuine car um so what's genuine the four speed manual of the car
the boss I don't know uh it's up for 64 995 this is a bright orange car with black stripes
it's that orange I swear all day long that was yellow would you uh well maybe it's a sort of
orange yellow DP yellow yeah well you're you're the one who's not colorblind so I'll take your word
over mine it's so when it says genuine car what they mean is it's a genuine Boss Mustang because
you know there'll be plenty of um of cars that have been made to look like Boss Mustangs and so the
fact that it is uh or certainly purports to be a an original uh is it's good uh grabber orange it says
that's the original factory color grabber orange so this is a they're tires called grabbers weren't
there there was a who made them firestones they used to have grabber written on the side walls
don't know this is a 1970 car uh 9 000 miles it's a coupe um I mean I just want to understand
what Boss means it was the high performance it was their sort of well it was the sort of
specification they'd made for people who want to go quarter-miling that sort of thing I think so
you have so you would have had I don't know what the output of that engine is um it's not a car
I've driven but it would be by the comparison of the day by the standards of the day it would be
a higher up that engine might have short gearing in it it might have close ratio manual gearbox
there you go so that'll that might be I've I've driven cars muscle cars like that I drove a charger
uh um not a 440 rt but a hemi 426 hemi um and it was geared for the quarter mile
okay so it would run out of steam at about 100 miles an hour
it would literally just run out of revs it would be so short you go bang bang bang
oh okay that it um so I suspect it's like that I think that's a car for someone this is a
kind of like the world's most obvious thing to say this is someone who loves that sort of car
yeah um I think yeah if you're into that sort of that americana muscle car thing it's probably
I think it's a very niche purchase yeah um and I think it's for sort of completeness and it'd be
someone who really wants a boss Mustang and there have been so many different sorts of
Mustangs over the years um but if that's what you want that looks like a really nice um example
and this is before the Mustang was completely neutered wasn't it by emissions legislation
legislature what year is this 1970 yeah so there's pretty much the last year where you could do what
you like um yeah absolutely so certainly by 1972 um you know that car would have had you know might
have only had half the power that it would have had two years earlier um so yeah so it's the right
year it's an interesting type of car um but again if I wanted an american car if I wanted an american
car for not just sitting in and pointing out and going look at this quite important car which it is
but for actually really using and indulging and enjoying also 9 000 miles would you I might even
be nervous about putting a lot of miles on it and with a car like that I just want to put a
load of miles on it so interesting but but not for me really okay so that was 65 grand so we're
getting quite punchy now yeah so are these all is each car more expensive than the last yeah
understood so we're well out of sort of real world territory now or we're climbing out of it um
what's this one then ooh another BMW um so this okay we are getting quite punchy money wise here
so this is a BMW E9 the ad says that's the model code though isn't it what would you call it like
a 3D to CS is it a CS CSL okay okay so that explains the money so let me just describe
this it's a those E9s those BMW coupes are gorgeous things lovely delicate balanced proportions big
glass house um this one's green that looks like a bright lime green to me I don't know what the
official number name is it's a 1973 car 114,000 miles um I'd love these things oh
taiga green it says I love these things purely for the way they look I have no idea what they're
like okay so if you're going to have one of those that's the one to have is it yeah so they made
three they made the CS yeah um which is absolutely the wrong one to have it's the one
my father had which had a steel body and a carburetor engine yeah they made the CSI
which had a much better fuel injective version of the same engine and they made the CSL which is
basically the homologation special which allowed them to go touring car racing um so the CSL has
some lightweight bits in it um but it's very much revered in the way that all homologation
specials are are revered I've never driven a CSL I've driven a CSI and I've driven a CS
and they are lovely they're really nice um they're not massively sporting cars okay they're
very nice cars for um sort of eight tents on big open country roads or for doing long distances in
um even my father's CS was a nice thing to go about the place and it was just pretty gutless
so I think that's a very desirable car I also think that if the condition is and they can
be money pits I mean these things really rust do they yeah yeah um and in all sorts of places
which could be difficult to get at and so you need to be super super careful um with them I know
someone who had a CSI uh who ended up getting rid of it because she just couldn't keep on top of
the maintenance um but if it's a good car and you look after it I think it'll look after you
and I think in the meantime it's not just a really nice car I think it's quite a special one too
yeah 120,000 pounds yeah I mean it looks good too it looks to my slightly uneducated eye that
it's got all the right bits and there's nothing on it unlike some of the cars we've seen um earlier
in this podcast where I've gone oh gosh what's that doing on there yeah um that looks that looks
pretty good to me um glorious yeah if I had the money I'd like to go now a closer look at that
I think that could be a very nice addition to a collection one of BMW's prettiest cars
no question the ad actually says um it was almost double the price of a v12 jaguar e-type when you
does that sound right yeah yeah but I think I think that says as much about how cheap the
jaguars were as how expensive the BMWs were but yes I mean a very very serious piece of
kit in this day what's funny is that only a few years before BMW was building little bubble cars
yeah yeah well that's how far it came god amazing era for BMW okay let's move it on
right brosso corsa ferrari 308 um 2.9 gtb
120 000 pounds um let's have a look at a few more details can you just go back from yeah
oh interesting I'll tell you what's interesting okay okay that's really interesting 1976 car
yeah um 36 600 miles yeah um go on then what do you reckon vetrol resina yeah is in the
description I was going to ask about that what does it mean fiberglass okay glass fiber body
very very early 308s yeah have fiberglass bodies um and because they were a they didn't rot
and b they were much lighter than the steel bodies that replaced them
and c because they're very rare these are super desirable cars within the context of how much
people would ever pay for 308s um also very rare single exhaust pipe oh now that was standard
but everybody there was a four-pipe option and everybody had the four pipes put on that
this one doesn't um standard front chin spoiler which is nice they were they they did a ridiculously
extended chin spoiler which um which visually spoiled the entire look at the car I think it's
a buyer's market for those sorts of cars I've just noticed in the description one of only 154
right hand drive vetrol resinas which I completely believe that's how rare they are yeah um
so I mean I'd still want to with those sorts of cars you still need to you need to be very careful
with those sorts of cars because you know that body you think well it sounds like a really good
idea but if you damaged it in some way um it could be a world of pain um fragile bits for
the interior if you break just getting parts and bits for those cars can be difficult and
you know inexpensive uh it's not the sort of car I'm afraid sadly that you're going to want to go
off on big driving holidays anymore unless you're very bullish um and possibly quite well resourced
because not that it would necessarily break down I mean the mechanicals of those cars the engines
the gearboxes we're all very strong there's not an awful lot of electrical stuff on them to go
wrong there's a bit it'll have electric wind as I think um but because um you'd just be frightened
of damaging it uh I don't mean crashing it but you know little scrapes here and there or whatever
but they were they were great cars when they came out they replaced the Dino and I think
you know given what a hard act that was to follow and I think they did it very successfully
it's a great looking car it's an amazing looking car I don't think the photographs do it
that we've got if you can see them I don't think the photographs do it any justice at all
and they're understood by people have a car like that and they just park it up against a hedge
in crap light and just think that's somehow gonna you know I think they haven't even put the windows
up yeah and then you asked 120 grand for it and then it's worth the effort getting really good
photographs they can't be bothered to you know to even wind up a window what does that say about
how the car I don't know would just be um so a really rare quite important car
interesting um nice to drive quite quick don't mess about on the limit of them
they're not from the era when Ferrari's really reacted particularly well to that kind of behaviour
but yeah just I mean it's sort of car that if you took to the right kind of car show
would attract an awful lot of interest because you know tedious bores like me were going oh
it's not veterinary so you got single exhaust pipe Harry Metcalfe had one he had a veteran
with a single exhaust pipe and his was about to work in ever because Harry's car it was
it was pretty much perfect but you just don't see him you don't see 308s very often these days
and you don't you really don't see veterinary James May had an early 308 but it wasn't a
fiberglass car it was a steel car just on these cars generally the ones you don't want
in 1980 they fuel injected the engine and called it the 308 GTB I don't want one of them
absolutely got this couldn't get out of its own way really yeah power fell from 255 to 214 horsepower
then they did the QV which had the four valve heads much better power went back up to 240
and then they did the 328 which when I think 270 horsepower and so the only 308 you really
want to avoid is a GTB I and that's a QV good knowledge there you I haven't driven a 308 but
I have driven a few 70s Ferraris and I enjoyed every single one of them yeah those are quite
different those feel okay so you've driven a Daytona yeah and you've driven a GTC4 yeah those
are cars which were designed in the mid 60s yeah this was a kind of car that was designed in the
mid 70s and obviously a mid-engine V8 rather than a front-engine VTOS so completely different in feel
I'd be really interested I think you'd quite like it I'm sure I think you'd like the big bangers a
bit more yeah because they are a bit more charming and and have a greater sense of occasion to them
but you know that's reflected in the price really interesting car okay let's move it on we've still
got a few more to rattle through so we'll be quick now look at that thing another one I haven't
driven this is a Mercedes Benz 600 yes it's up for 129950 I mean it looks like a villains car
it's in a very very dark gray with chrome detailing looks enormous it looks that way for a reason
because it is big upright imposing car huge grille I love the way it looks
but do you want it yeah well I want to have a go so it's a 1970 car 94 000 miles
we really know very little else about it you haven't driven one yeah but this was Mercedes
asked to the to this was Mercedes going we can outrolls Royce Royce Royce that's what it was
this wasn't a conventional like an s-class is today a mass produced luxury car this was a limousine
this was the sort of car that diplomats and ambassadors and yeah high-up politicians and
maybe even industrialists industrialist nobility the sort of car that if you were you know
the prime minister of a pretty important country you'd expect to be picked up from the airport
and one of them from Munich and organized crime lords well maybe maybe I mean their reputation
is very good um yeah gosh if ever there was if a marshmallow fell to earth and said what's a three
box saloon you just showing that wouldn't it yeah it really is one for the engine passengers
one for the luggage yeah um I'd love to have a go I'd love to have a go but I really can't tell you
much more about it than that's what it is I can't tell you what they like to drive with any particular
problems I just don't know enough about them I'm afraid okay let's keep going um that looks
sensational this is a uh data maso pantera 130 000 pounds yeah um 5.8 liter this is a bright red car
what do you know about these so this well um there were around this time there were quite a few cars
that were European cars which had American powertrains in them you think obviously there's
Tomasso there was Monteverdi in this country there was Jensen doing it all sorts of examples
all of which of course just flowed my brain but it was quite and you can see the logic can't you
you're a tiny little Italian or British super car manufacturer and you've no problem at all
designing cars which are absolutely beautiful but there's no way you could afford to do a powertrain
so what you want is a cheap bomb proof source of vast power well you know where's that going to come
from you just go and get a a Chevy or a Ford small block or big block and stick it in the
back and off you go and that's what this is so this was meant to be a rival for the Lamborghini
Kuntas and the Ferrari Bernaletta boxer um again another car I haven't driven um I've driven I think
all of its obvious rivals I think the problem with these sorts of cars is I think there's a bit of
snobbery about them I think people do see them as Mongrels um because they haven't got some
beautiful four cam v12 in them they've got a push rod v8 which you could find frankly in you
know American horses trucks school buses whatever but that can be a virtue in some ways can't you
well I think to the proper car person absolutely yeah but to the um to the man on the street
or to the person considering it and having to explain why their car has got a Ford v8 in it
rather than a Ferrari v12 you can see that people were would be a bit reticent about it um and it's
and it's a shame because they never sold in huge numbers but they're great looking cars I think
they might have been a bit tricky on the limit yeah um which perhaps you can imagine because
you know short wheelbase big heavy engine um but and also almost certainly not the most reliable
of things despite the engine because I suspect all the rest of this rest of the stuff could have
been could be a bit um sketchy at times but yeah I mean I love the idea of it but okay if you gave
me the choice if you lined up that a boxer on a coontash and said go for a drive that would be
the one I would be least likely to get into but 130 grand yeah and that's why I still
yeah I still wouldn't buy it though oh cool thing that sort of money uh okay we've only got a couple
more okay there had to be one of these okay dino for our dino yeah um 246 gt punchy money now 270
thousand pounds um yeah but let me less than they were yeah I've made drops yeah absolutely values of
the cars have come off so this is a Rosso Corsa car 16 000 miles low miles 1973 yeah I've had to go
one of these doesn't say flares and chairs uh what does that mean no it doesn't uh flares and
chairs mainly that it had sort of flared wheel arches and Daytona seats in it I think and they
are apparently the most desirable ones um dino's are absolutely wonderful things they call it a
Ferrari dino they really shouldn't it's just a dino but that's just me being pedantic does it have
Ferrari badges on it it shouldn't usually they're on the back of there anywhere but you might not
be able to I think I can see one Ferrari badge above the above the number plate that's where
they usually stick them yeah um just the most if I could own one Ferrari it'd be an F40 obviously
yeah but if I could own another Ferrari would be a dino um the slowest Ferrari probably there's
ever been certainly the least powerful Ferrari road car that has ever been unless you go back
right to the sort of 1940s I guess um but to me the most charming delightful beautiful
sweet handling fabulous sounding yeah just joy on wheels um there there is nothing about those
cars that I don't love now I have a particular personal history with them because my father very
briefly owned one when I was a kid and it's you know and it's my memory of going in that car that
did quite a lot to sort of light the fire that frankly got me sitting in the studio doing this
podcast 50 something years later um I just adore them and if you drive them they're just well I mean
okay much more interesting what you thought when you drove one oh I loved it I thought it was a
gorgeous little thing felt um agile felt really um beautiful steering lovely to drive you could
you could properly get on top of it you could hustle it gorgeous little engine so tell us about
the engine why it's special the engine is special uh 2.4 litre v6 engine 65 degree v6 the only 65
degree v6 that there's been it's a 65 degree v6 because when it was a two and a half litre engine
in the front of Mike Hawthorne's 246 dino formula one car winning him the 1958 formula one world
championship um they wanted a little bit more space in the fee so that they could put bigger
carbs between the two banks um and that's why vitoio yano designed it as a 65 degree v6 so it's a
proper it's got that engine has proper heritage yeah you know people have often said oh we put a
formula one car engine in our car I mean Ferrari said it about the f50 they absolutely didn't it
might have been a distant distant distant relative but it was completely different um this kind of
okay what it was changed um it had an iron block although the earlier 206 didn't um but the iron
block was cast by fiat actually you're more likely to see a fiat badge on that car than
you will a Ferrari badge because you know where to look on the engine you can see fiat stands because
fiat cast the engines for Ferrari um but it's a very special engine it's gorgeous sounding it's
spun to nearly 8000 which when it came out um in the late 1960s was pretty astronomical for those
sorts of cars. Ferrari's well the 206 um which directly began the 246 uh Ferrari's first mid-engine
car and you'd think that Ferrari not necessarily concentrating that much on a car chassis much
more about its engine and it's a mid-engine car you'd think well a really early Ferrari
mid-engine car might be all over the place in the corners an absolute death trap quite the
reverse they are sweet as you like yeah so forgiving so indulging so much fun I adore
these things and um I'm sure lots of listeners will know that I was briefly reunited with my
father's car um not that long ago and I'd give I'd give anything to own that car I can't afford it
probably never will be able to but um yeah I would I would and that is a car I would just use
and I wouldn't care because it's just I couldn't just sit sat in my garage.
What should we clear up the the Dino thing why is it not a badge to Ferrari?
Because Ferrari wanted to launch a sub-brand didn't want to devalue the Ferrari brand by selling
something cheaper um and Dino because Dino Ferrari was was Ferrari's only legitimate son
and he died very sadly in the 1950s 1956 I think at the age of 24 um which was far and
away the most significant event in Enzo Ferrari's life he always wanted to do something to honor his
son and launching a car which was I think they described it in their marketing materials almost
a Ferrari that's great yeah um and it was kind of you know it was his tribute to his son really
and at the same time commercially it allowed him to do something which he would have been nervous
about doing with a brand like Ferrari which had only ever sold to the very richest um the the
wealthiest clientele. Okay we've got one more okay this is the last one um there we go portion
911 2.7 RS touring a white car £475,000 a bit less than half a million quid so yeah 1972
108,000 miles has been used what side the steering side is the steering wheel on um it's a lefty
okay yeah it's a lefty I mean so it's a touring yeah um it's an original so
touring has it been lightweighted does it say uh actually I think the original buyer was going to
yeah originally ordered as a lightweight but the specification was altered at the final stage of
production to the more usable touring package reflecting the buyer's intention to drive the
car extensively across Europe. Okay so I'm going to take it at face value I'm going to say that it
is a proper touring um and that there are because there are so many sort of sort of stories about
this car so for instance I know someone who owned actually an absolutely genuine touring um but
it was sold new into Spain when it was first bought and I think that there were punitive
taxes on cars um above or maybe the car wasn't homologated so what happened was the car was
sold as a 2.4 s but with all the touring bits so with all the rs bits or in the boot in a separate
pack and then it was that and then it was turned into it and there's you know cars like that have
question marks over them they're obviously far more replicas of 2.7 rs's than there are real cars
so you always need to be careful and know what you're looking at but I'm going to take it at face
value um so it is of all the 2.7 rs's the specification is the least desirable because
certainly to a uk audience because left hand drive and it's a touring um if it had been a
lightweight um which are far far rarer um you know you could have added hundreds of
thousand pounds to that price I don't know but that still seems expensive to me um you know the
market for those cars has come off a lot yeah it has often um and half a million quid for a left
hand drive touring doesn't strike me as being um a bargain now I'm you know I haven't because I didn't
know this car was coming up I haven't gone on research current values of these things so it's
more of a gut feeling than born of deep knowledge but I know that you know there was a time when
you know there have been 2.7 rs's which have sold for a million pounds yeah but that was a while ago
and they would have been right hand drive lightweights and it's quite striking which are the rarest of
the rare they really have softened and we see that for this era of cars in the particularly the 50s
and 60s they're coming down completely oh big time yeah I mean if you'd bought you know something
like an Aston Martin DB5 you know five years ago and paid all the money for it um yeah that wouldn't
have been a great thing to do um all those sorts of cars e-types Aston's yeah um and up to an
including cars like this I think the weather market is interested at the moment is in 80s and 90s
stuff um really proper authentic stuff from that from that era and there are still some really
interesting cars but at the moment and it may be just a cyclical thing it may be just fashion um
I would bet that they'll come back because they've tended to in the past but you can't say that for
certain the the advice when you're buying a car like this or frankly any recreational car is
buy the car you love buy the car that you really want to have because at the end of the day
if its value falls uh just keep the car and enjoy it and love it and you know if you bought
something that you've only bought because you think you're going to turn a few quid on it
at the end of the day you've got an asset you don't want and you can't get rid of it because
you'll or your or your face losing your shirt over you for do so number one rule of buying old
cars is buy a car you want to have regardless of its value buy for the right reasons
reasons um yeah okay well we've we've run out of time and that is the last car good um you've
really put your knowledge to the test there uh so well done that was impressive uh if you can
remember them which one would you most like to go from last in dino dino i'd be i'd be very tempted
by this 2.7 rs but i think i might actually choose the bmw 3dc the csl would be my second i'd love
to have a go in that gorgeous gorgeous thing yeah okay well that was fun thank you everyone for
watching um whichever way you're listening or watching just follow the show or subscribe it
really really helps us in return um we'll be back next week to do it all over again we look forward
to seeing you then bye
About this episode
Hosts pick “best buys” from a wide spread of 1970s sports cars, starting with a caveat that these are “going to be recreational vehicles” rather than daily drivers. They stress practical buying checks—especially chassis and rust—and explain why “looks clean” can be misleading. The list moves through budget icons like the MG MGB, classic value plays like a Lotus +2, and higher-end choices such as Corvettes, Ferraris, and Porsche RS cars, with repeated warnings about authenticity and condition.
Dan Prosser and Andrew Frankel go through the listings to see whether a £6k MGB is better buy than a £35k Land Rover Series II, or a £120k DeTomaso Pantera. Which would they both take home, given a lottery win?
Use coupon code pod20 at checkout to get 20% off an annual subscription to The Intercooler's online car magazine for the first year! Listen to this podcast ad-free, and enjoy a subscriber-only midweek podcast too. With a 30-day free trial, you can try it risk-free – https://www.the-intercooler.com/subscribe/
