Two wheels? Four Wheels? Sixteen? This site is for them all. We love classic cars. Immaculate restorations? sure.. but the essence of a machine is worn into it's finish, it's missing or replaced parts.. patina. We like perfect.. but we also like soul. There is something special about classic cars: about their curves, their highly unique (but less-than aerodynamic) body styles, and the comforting rumble and aroma emitted by a 20th Century engine. Do you own a vintage auto? Or perhaps you just love the retro style of yesteryear. Welcome to retrowheels.cool!
Very cool light yellow Fiat 500L, in pretty tidy condition. The Italian "peoples car". Most 500L (L stands for 'Lusso' (luxury) were produced between 1967 and 1971, though they remained on sale into 1972. This will be one of the last examples made/sold.
1972 Citroen DS Super 5. The Citroen DS was designed by Flaminio Bertoni and first demonstrated to the public at the 1955 Paris motor show. Although immediately popular, one downside of the early DS was the perceived lack of power, and over the next two decades of production this gradually increased, culminating in the 141bhp Citroen DS23, launched in 1972. The Citroen D Super first appeared in 1970, replacing the Citroen ID, so in 1972 (when the DS21 was replaced by the DS23) some of these D Supers were upgraded with the DS21's 2175cc engine - and given the model designation Citroen D Super 5.
1971 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. Production of the third generation of the Chevrolet Corvette ran 1968-1976. Note the Stingray moniker is now one word (between 1963 and 1967 the C2 Corvette was a 'Sting Ray' with the name dropped absent in 1968. 5700cc. This one was registered in January 1971. What a beauty!
A Triumph Stag Estate I hear you cry! This car was built/converted in 1972 by Ian 'Del' Lines (hence the plate) at Atlantic garage in Weston super Mare. He then produced twenty five more Del Lines Stag Estates - thanks to a positive feature in Motor magazine - but was forced to stop after British Leyland intervened. It's a very cool looking car, and plenty useful too (this was Lines personal vehicle). It's been around a bit and is recently restored - read more about the restoration process here. 2998 cc. registered July 1972. Totally cool, very unusual, and certainly a conversation piece!
This is a lovely example of a Fiat 500L, built towards the end of 500L production (1967-1971) - one of 4 million Cinquecentos made in Italy between 1957 and 1975. L stands for 'Lusso' which is the Italian word for luxury; this model has somewhat fancier trim than the Fiat 500F that was available at the same time. It's a left hand drive, with a first registration date of December 1970.
Great looking 1970 Triumph Vitesse mk2. This very nice example was registered in October 1970. The Vitesse was produced from 1962 until 1971, with the mk2 arriving in October 1968. But as early as 1966, the Triumph Vitesse was available with the same 1998cc Triumph I6 engine as the super sporty Triumph GT6. Like so many classic 1960s Triumph cars, the Vitesse was styled by legendary sports car designer Giovanni Michelotti, famous for his work for Ferrari, Lancia and Maserati.
The Austin Apache was another vehicle designed by Giovanni Michelotti, but based on the Austin 1100 / Morris 1100 (i.e. part of the ADO16 group of vehicles first built in 1962). It was built by Leykor for the South African market, with almost 22,000 examples sold between 1971 and 1978. It was only available as a 4-door saloon, with a 1275cc petrol engine. It was actually the last of all the ADO16 variants in production. This beautifully restored example was imported into the United Kingdom in 1985.
Very funky artic lime transporter van - UK registered S-reg (1977/78) with Westfalia pop-up roof - but a left hand drive import. Note the deep front bumper and boxed-in spare wheel. A vehicle produced towards the end of the T2 / bay window era.
1960 Austin-Healey 3000 MkII (2912 cc) Another race-ready 'Big Healey' at the 2022 Silverstone Classic. Registered in August 1960.
The Austin A40 launched in 1947, with several different models coming to market over the following years. But, perhaps one of the best known variants was the A40 Farina debuting in 1958. As is stated by the name, this, A40 was the result of a remodelling by Italian designer Battista Farina. It remained in production until 1967, with a few variations. The mk2 (1961) had a slightly longer wheelbase, but was also given a larger engine in 1962. It was the same 1098cc A-series I4 fitted to the (contemporaneous) Morris Minor and Austin/Morris 1100 series (ADO16). This mk2 A40 Farina was registered in June 1964.
A real piece of British motorcycle history. The Bantam was BSA's (Birmingham Small Arms Company) lightweight bike, with numerous models appearing between 1948 and 1971. The 125cc D1 was actually the first of the range, with production running between 1948 and 1963. The original finish for all D1s was mist green.
This early Land Rover recovery vehicle is slowly being subsumed by the field in which it resides
Late eighties water-cooled T25 (T3, Vanagon) enjoying the Great British summertime
The Fiat 500 was designed by Dante Giacosa, and released in the summer of 1957. Ten years on, and the design had been refined somewhat; now with front hinged doors, and a smaller sunroof, but still with the same classic Italian elegance, perfect for the narrow streets of Rome, Milan, Turin...
This is a beautiful example of a 1960 two-door saloon Morris Minor 1000 - so named because of it's 948cc petrol engine (as fitted to the A35, and pre-1962 A40). The Morris Minor was perhaps the epitome of British car design - at least in the days before the Mini; though both cars were designed by the same man - Alec Issigonis. This one was registered in January 1960, and is fitted with old-style trafficator 'flag' indicators. These would be replaced by regular flashing indicators in 1961.
1971 Bedford HA 130 (registered December 1971). The HA vans were based on the Vauxhall Viva, and built in the Vauxhall motors plant, Luton, Bedfordshire. Great looking light works vehicle, with John Myrtle Electrical livery. Very cool old van
The Consul Capri was a two door coupé version of the Ford Consul Classic. It was available from late 1961 (export only) and from early 1962 for the UK market. Production was short, ending in mid-1964, with somrthing over 19,000 built in this time. Bodies were made by Pressed Steel, and assembled at the Ford plant in Dagenham (later Halewood), initially with a 1340cc engine (though this car has been upgraded to 1500cc). This is a fairly early example, registered in May 1962 - but it's a great looking car in lovely condition!
