Classy Racers

For as long as we have had cars, we have had motorsport. The need to compete is a base  part of the human condition, so when we replaced our horses with cars, we were always destined to pit them against other machines in the spirit of competition.

That’s as true today as it’s ever been. But motorsport isn’t all about modern, cutting-edge cars. Once a race car is built, it’s a race car for life. And as any good petrolhead will tell you, old race cars don’t die. There is a diehard following for race cars of all periods. Be they 1920s Bentleys, 1960s Fords or 1990s BMWs, there is still a wealth of racers out there. And these cars aren’t relics. They’re still fast, they’re still champing at the bit for a scrap and they’re still huge amounts of fun. With that in mind, we’ve pulled five from our classifieds that you can buy now – with something to suit every budget.

1)      The MG ZR – £1,500

Okay, so an MG ZR might not be the first car when you think of a classic, but please do hear us out here. This isn’t any old MG. This particular ZS now has a 2.0 T Series engine wedged between the front struts. That means twin cams, that means fuel injection and most importantly of all, it means forced induction. The T Series comes from the Rover 620Ti and the Rover 800 Vitesse. It’s a powerhouse of an engine in those cars, let alone a stripped out ZS. And what’s more, the matching gearbox is in there, too. Which should mean Torsen limited-slip differential.

With an estimated 220bhp on tap, this will be one outrageously fast car. But it’s not just about speed. It has the buckets, it has the brakes, it has the roll-cage and it has the sticky rubber. It’s ready to go and go it will. With this car, you could look to compete in tarmac rallies, auto-tests or hill-climbs. And all for just £1,500. That is a tremendous bargain.

2)      MG Midget – £4,950

Ask any racer what makes for a good car and they’ll tell you that lightness is high on the list. Weight is the enemy of performance. Even if you have the biggest, most powerful engine, it won’t mean anything if you’re dragging a mass of old iron around. That’s why this MG Midget is the perfect racer. From the factory, it weighed a mere 735kg. This one, however, has been stripped of unnecessary trim and the front end had been replaced with fibreglass. It is a true featherweight. That means the race-specification A Series engine (complete with race cam and high-lift rockers) isn’t overly stressed.

More racy bits come in the guise of a Safety Devices roll bar, Sparco bucket seats and harnesses, braided brake lines and a front disc conversion. It’s a proper race car, despite being somewhat diminutive in size. Okay, so it’s a bit of a project and needs things like the electrics and the carbs sorting out, but it’s nothing major. And once it’s done, it’ll put plenty of value back into the car. It’s financial win, and also a potential track win.

3)      Alfa Romeo Giulia – £10,500

How about this gorgeous 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia for something a little bit different? There is something satisfyingly indecent about a three-box saloon being used for motorsport, which is why we all love touring cars. It’s also why we love this. Once nothing more than middle-of-the-road executive saloon, it was plucked from Italy in the 1990s and taken to Finland. There it was converted to a rally/stage car and put into competition. Full cage, uprated twin-cam engine with 120bhp, straight-cut gearbox, it’s a noa fide rally car. Built to Appendix K specifications, no bolt was left unturned during its transformation.

The current owner shipped the car back to the UK around a year ago. He has the all-important documentation to ready the car for competition here, meaning the FIA Historic Technical passport. As such, this car is ready to once again hit the stages, or with a little work, it could be altered to compete in historic saloon car races. Whatever its racing future, it’s always going to be a car that stands out.

4)      Lotus Cortina – £36,500

It wouldn’t be a list of classic race cars without a Ford, would it? Happily, we’ve got that base covered care of this Mk1 ‘Lotus’ Cortina. We say ‘Lotus’ due to it actually starting life as a Deluxe model. But that doesn’t mean it’s all steel; it has aluminium panels in the form of the doors, bonnet and boot-lid, just like the original. The engine is all Lotus and is complete with Weber DCOE carbs, forged pistons and ARP bolts. The clutch has been upgraded, the gearbox is Quaife straight-cut 2000E item, there’s a limited-slip diff, the list goes on. It’s an out and out racer.

If you’re desperate to live out your Jim Clark fantasies, this is the car for you. And much like the Alfa Romeo we covered previously, this Cortina has been built to FIA Appendix K specifications and has all the requisite FIA papers. Classic touring cars is where a car like this would belong, and it’s also what a car like this deserves.

5)      Rover SD1 – £100,000

There’s nothing finer that the rumble of an angry V8, and that’s something this SD1 definitely has. We were lucky enough to hear it at the NEC recently, and man alive, what a noise. But it’s not just noise. This is a proper Tom Walkinshaw Racing competition car. Cast aside the memories of gold SD1s with brown velour interiors. This car is about as far removed from that as you can get. This 1984 car has been built from the ground up to compete. The wheels, brakes, suspension shell, engine, exhaust, all of it… it’s all been engineered and uprated. This is as close as you can get to one of the genuine, original TWR SD1s from the 1980s.

The car is complete, it’s been tested, and it is ready to race, and there are 2017 FIA HTP papers to make sure it happens. Plus, a load of spares to help keep you on the track and not in the pits. This bruiser would be absolutely perfect for Historic Touring Cars, or as the seller suggests, Motor racing Legends. Nothing has been left untouched, including the bodywork, which has been done to perfectly replicate the Austin Rover ‘fleet’ livery of old.