Latest news

Which of these seven fine cars would have lured you into your local dealership?

1972 Hillman Avenger Top Hat

The Avenger was only two years into its production run when Chrysler UK unveiled the Top Hat. This ‘car buy of the year’ was the 1500 Super equipped with £110 worth of extras including automatic transmission, a heated rear window ‘for safety and convenience’ and a ‘battery-saving alternator’. However, the main sales features were the electric blue paint finish and the white vinyl roof, so that you would have no difficulty in recognising your Top Hat in the Little Chef car park.

1973 Hillman Avenger Sunseeker

This was no ordinary Avenger De Luxe but a car that revelled in its ‘sports wheels’, ‘lush carpeting’ ‘reclining front seats’, a radio set and other luxuries too numerous to mention. Best of all, the two-door was finished in “Apricot” while the four-door (which also boasted automatic transmission) came in an equally tasteful shade of” Orange Blossom”. When combined with the pale-coloured vinyl roof, the effect was akin to a giant Orange Mivvi.

1975 Hillman Hunter Topaz

You are young, hip and generally groovy. A Sanyo music centre takes pride of place in your living room, and your hairstyle is modelled after Dennis Waterman in The Sweeney. Naturally, your set of wheels reflects your way of life - which is why you have ordered a Hillman Hunter Topaz. The styling may hark back to the days of The Monkees but the ‘Special Features’ include ‘sports style wheels’, ‘Copperbeech metallic paint’, a ‘push-button radio’ and overdrive. And that is not all, for there are also ‘servo-assisted brakes’ and ‘side indicator repeaters’. Besides, who could resist a car fitted with ‘Fawn brushed nylon seats’?

1975 Hillman Imp Caledonian

Between October 1975 and March 1976 some 2,000 Caledonians left the Linwood plant, marking the end of Imp production. The specification was genuinely lavish – a radio, twin door mirrors, reclining front seats, reversing lamps, and ‘specially patterned’ cloth upholstery best described as ‘exuberant’.

1979 Talbot Sunbeam Trio

The confusing message of this PR shot is that the typical owner is both a howling cad and, judging by his choice of eaterie, an utter cheapskate. At least the specification included some very thrilling stripes, metallic “Moonstone” paint, a radio and ‘exclusive Piccadilly seat cloth’. Surviving Trios must be rarer than the Sunbeam Lotus and speaking of which –

1983 Talbot Sunbeam Lotus “Avon Special”

In January 1983 Avon Coachworks of Warwick re-trimmed 150 last of the line models as the “Avon Special”, complete with a Britax tinted sunroof and a modified interior with blue velour trim. A Motor Sport test of April 1983 concluded:

with a £7,500 tax paid price tag, this is great value for money: as a final flourish each car has an individual “chassis number” signwritten ahead of the driver’s door mirror, with a registration number to match.

1984 Talbot Horizon and Alpine Summertime Specials

The very name conjures images of a dire television variety show, but the reality was a Horizon LS and an Alpine LS with a sunroof, a radio-cassette player and body-coloured wheels. By that time, both models were approaching the end of their lifespan, and your friendly local Peugeot-Talbot dealer was concentrating on 205 sales. However, the metallic paintwork (“Sable” for the Horizon and “Cascade” blue for the Alpine) meant few could ignore their presence on the showroom floor.

Why choose Lancaster Insurance?

Here at Lancaster, we love classic cars as much as you do and we understand what it takes to protect them for future generations.

We have links with some of the top classic car clubs around the country and some of our policies even offer discounts of up to 25% for club members.

Other benefits of classic car insurance through Lancaster can include:

• Historic rally cover
• Static show cover
• Limited mileage discounts
• Choice of repairer
• 24-hour claims helpline

Give your classic the protection it deserves and get a quote for your classic today.