Issue 212 IVS & Issue 52 RC

Description

IRISH VINTAGE SCENE ISSUE 212

The cover of the February 2024 edition of Irish Vintage Scene goes to one of the hot-hatch heroes of the early eighties. While Ford’s Fiesta marked its first foray into the supermini hatchback market in 1976, it didn’t receive proper performance credentials until the 1981 launch of the XR2 version, powered by the good old 1600 Kent crossflow. The example we feature this month is owned by a fan that grew up driving Mk1 Fiestas, and making this one as good as it possibly could be has been a labour of love for him. Our second feature car is a change from the norm – a 1979 Peugeot 504 hearse of all things, which not only has resided in Co. Kerry all its life, but was even converted there in the early eighties. With only 16,000 miles on the clock, it’s an incredibly original piece of history from a section of Irish motoring that receives little attention from enthusiasts.

Moving to matters agricultural, this month’s featured tractor is a classic Massey Ferguson 35 that has been in the same Co. Tyrone family since it was bought new in Omagh in 1961, and has recently been restored to as-new condition. Our commercial vehicle feature looks at a 1971 Dodge K-Series tipper that was bought for very sentimental reasons by its current owner, and rounding off our features for this month is a 1961 Zundapp Combinette 428 moped that’s just been rebuilt after many decades lying in storage.

Lots of the usual favourites are in there too, including a look back on events in 2023 from the Nenagh Classic Car Club Show, Ballyfinnane Hillclimb commemoration, the Aran Islands Classic Car Run, Western Veteran & Vintage Car Club’s West Run and the Ulster Festival of Steam & Transport, so don’t miss out!

RETRO CLASSICS ISSUE 52

The January to March 2024 issue of Retro Classics is now on sale at good newsagents nationwide, or direct from us by ordering online quickly and conveniently, and as usual we’ve another exciting line-up of very special cars for you. Heading up this issue is a 1964 VW Karmann Ghia that was rescued from fourteen years in storage, but not with the intention of a concours restoration – instead, it’s managed to retain as much as possible of its original paint, combined with a road-scraping lowering job and rejuvenated 1600 engine to create a really distinctive and fun classic for the summer shows. 

Further into the mag, we feature an incredible Mk1 Escort rally car that’s towed around by a period-perfect Ford Granada support car, a Mitsubishi FTO V6 that’s been converted to a nineties-style track-day toy, a Nissan Sunny ZX Coupe that’s believed to be one of only two on the road in this country, and last but not least we drop into rallycross legend Denis Biggerstaff to check out some of his amazing collection of competition cars, as well as the new home he’s just built for them.

Event reports in this issue come from the Armagh City Car & Bike Show, ALMC Motor Club Show, the Causeway Coast Mini Weekend, Jumpstart Cars & Coffee, the Classic & Old Skool Summer Show, the Carole Nash Historic Festival, the Nenagh Classic Car Club Show and reviews of the 2023 Future Classics race series and historic and modified classes of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship. All of this comes along with our regular detailing guide and a look back at the often-quirky car ads of decades past, so don’t miss out – get your copy at any good newsagent, order a digital edition or click here to order a copy online!