3
D
iscounting Mrs Bell’s Porsche
Boxster, which I regularly
pinch, I’ve only owned one
convertible – the prettybrutal
TVR Griffith. Unusuallyforthe
two-seat roadster formula, it
was roomy enough and,unless
provoked, civilised enough
to play grand tourer, but its
raw character was never more thana few
thousandths of an inch below the surface.
For a thoroughly convincing attempt
at the seemingly contradictory art of
motoring that is both cosseting andopen
air, I’d need a cabriolet, something with
more generous proportions in which to
lounge around while enjoying the calm
ambience of a saloon car with theplump
roof down, or even up. The six cars
Andrew Noakes has rounded up allclaim PhilBell,editor
June 2019 Issue 551
Welcome
deceptivelyshinyexamplethat owner Ian
Schofield bought in a rush of enthusiasm.
The story of how JAR took it from evil-
handling fire hazard to the Ford of his
dreams is a fascinating journey. They had
to overcome modern-classic problems that
no other feature in our Epic Restorations
series has encountered, but it was worth it.
Well, it wasn’t my time, money or bitten-
down fingernails that made it happen, but
you know what I mean.
Enjoy the stories in this issue.
todothejob, soheheadedforthesortof
touringcountry whereyoutendtoget a
lot of weather. From VW Golf MkI GTI to
Alvis TD21, they all went about the job in
very many different ways, with a price
span as broad as their range of talents.
Their abilities to carry themselves with an
air of glamour, roof up or down, is equally
mixed, according to the dependably
forthright Chris Bangle, as we discover.
I could see an Alvis fitting into my life,
especially if the Bell garage offered the sort
of contrasting experiences in this issue,
from the strident Ferrari 275GTB that we
found for a lucky reader to drive to the
voluptuous Lagonda V12 that I could gaze
at all day, and night. Imagine lifting the
garage doors and seeing those staring back
at you. And the Cosworth RS500, certainly
now that it’s been transformed from the
There comes a time when soaking up the sunshine in
a refined cabriolet is the best way to enjoy summer
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TheAlvisTD21isat themore
majesticendof ourbroadspread
ofdelectabledropheadsto buynow
Cars in this issue
111 Alfa Romeo Spider S
72 Alpine A310GT
44 Alvis TD
112 Chevrolet Camaro
123 Citroën DS Pallas IE
6 Ferrari 275GTB
44 Ferrari Mondial QV
120 Ford Escort Mexico
94 Ford Sierra Cosworth RS
124 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
44 Jensen Interceptor
64 Lagonda V
202 Lotus Elise
44 Mercedes-Benz 320CE
80 MG BGT
20 Porsche 911 2.7RST
119 Porsche 928S
114 Reliant Scimitar GTE
44 Saab 900 Turbo 16S
86 Volkswagens – aircooled
44 Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet
102 Volvo Amazon
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