Issue 226 IVS & Issue 57 RC

Description

IRISH VINTAGE SCENE ISSUE 226

The April 2025 issue of Irish Vintage Scene goes on sale very shortly, and on the cover is a very rarely-seen Japanese car in this country. The Mazda 818 was not only the first Mazda model to be sold in Ireland in the mid-seventies, but they were also assembled here by the O’Flaherty Group on the Naas Road in Dublin. This month we catch up with a retired Mazda dealership employee to check out his 1975 818, which is a highly-original, low-mileage survivor. Our second feature car is a stunning 1930s Hillman Minx that has been restored recently by a friend of its late long-time owner, and is ready to hit the road this summer.

This month’s tractor feature introduces us to a life-long fan of the Steyr brand from Austria, after one was bought by his family back in 1969. While he has an impressive collection of these tractors, this month we look at two particularly rare examples, namely a Steyr 180 and a larger 185, which are his pride and joy. Our motorcycle feature tells the story of a 1984 Kawasaki Z650 that’s been known to its owner since it was brand new, and our commercial feature looks back at some of our favourite classic car-derived vans that we’ve featured in the magazine over the last fifteen years or so. Lots of the usual favourites are in there too, so don’t miss out!

RETRO CLASSICS ISSUE 57

On the cover is a Peugeot 205 GTI that’s literally the best we’ve ever seen – a low-mileage Dublin example that was in one family from new until this year, it was treated to a concours-level restoration that inadvertently made it too good for its owner to drive! Further into the mag, we showcase a Fiat 131 Sport from Northern Ireland that’s been beautifully restored by twin brothers that were brought up around Fiats, as well as a Mazda MX-5 Eunos Roadster that’s managed to woo its owner away from his previous passion of Italian classics. We round off the car features with a look at a sensational Historic-class BMW M3 rally car built as a homage to one of Billy Coleman’s competition cars in the eighties, and which recently made its debut at the West Cork Rally in March. And, one of our contributors takes a look back at The Engine Block automotive centre in Dublin, which was sadly destroyed by fire a year ago this month.

Event reports in this issue come from Retromobile Paris, Autosport International, the Gerard Murphy Memorial Run, the Killarney Historic Rally and the quirky Breakfast Roll VW meet in Co. Tipperary, our regular detailing guide informs us on the differences between caring for a classic and a modern car, and we take a look back at the often-quirky car ads of decades past, so don’t miss out!