Buick 215 V8

Hagerty Insurance lists top 10 British cars to buy now

A poignant buyer's guide, this one, what with it being British Car Week and all. You didn't know? Don't feel too bad; neither did Jaguar E-type owner Dutch Mandel nor your author, proud keeper of a Triumph TR6.

Nevertheless, to celebrate an obscure week promoting what's becoming an obscure breed of car, our good friends at Hagerty Insurance tapped into their collector-car database and came up with a list of 10 British classics that they think are as inexpensive as they're ever going to be.

Got some ideas of your own? Let us know in the Comments section.

Hagerty's top 10 British cars to buy right now

1968-2006 Morgan Plus 8: An aluminum V8 in a car similar to an MG TF is a recipe for big fun, and the Moggie delivers. Recently out of production and always in demand, there's nowhere to go but up. $35,000-$65,000

1978-79 TVR 3000S roadster: A bit obscure, but this car really has it all--great looks, a sophisticated tube chassis and plenty of power via a 2.9-liter Ford V6. Low production numbers mean a potentially long search, but this is one vehicle that's bound to appreciate in the long run. $16,000-$20,000

1967-74 Lotus Elan +2: One of if not the only case of the 2+2 coupe being prettier than the roadster, the Elan +2 might well be the prettiest collector car you can buy for less than $25,000. Rare, from a storied marque, quick and very attractive make a good proposition for future appreciation. $15,000-$22,000

1977-80 Lotus Esprit S1-S2: Another Lotus, this one the wedge-icon Esprit by Giorgetto Giugiaro. Good enough for 007 to use in several outings, Esprits are the supercar bargain and are not likely to stay inexpensive forever. $12,000-$15,000

1995-2004 Aston Martin DB7: The DB7 sits on the cusp between used car and collectible--it's finished depreciating, and nearly anything Aston Martin has been hot in the collector-car market of late. Hold time may be a bit longer, but it seems a relative certainty for collectability. Opt for a manual-transmission coupe. $26,000-$60,000

1989-2000 Aston Martin Virage: The DB7's predecessor was a hand-built car in the tradition of the David Brown-era cars. It's big, brawny and fast and stands out as undervalued among Astons and supercars in general. Like the DB7, a manual-transmission coupe is the way to go.

AROnline live » Engines : Rover V8

An heroic engine

During the late 1950s, the US car industry turned to aluminium as a material to build their engines from. The reasons for this have been well documented, but primarily it was the quest for lighter weight and greater efficiency that led the producers to choose this route. One such manufacturer who embraced aluminium with both arms, and so developed a compact V8 for their Buick range of cars. The engine displaced 3528cc and because of its compact size and low weight, proved very easy to package. Of course, the late Fifties were not a time for the Americans to be countering profligacy, and this resulted in these benefits largely being overlooked by GM, and that fact made them susceptible to persuasion.

Within two years the American steel industry fought back: In the American “system” the steel industry wielded enormous influence within governmental circles and thanks in part to this “unfair advantage”, along with improved casting technology and the emergence of thin wall casting techniques, many of the advantages of aluminium as a base material for engines were negated. As a result, General Motors reversed its policy of using aluminium in their new engines – returning to cast iron.

Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing for GM in the USA was not paramount in the minds of Rover executives and their engineers in the mid-’60s. For several years, Spen King and Gordon Bashford had been investigating alternative power units to power their top of the range cars; the 3-litre straight-six engine found in the P5 was by this time well past its sell-by date, being heavy and uneconomical. Various engines were tried with little success, not least the gas turbine, which managed to absorb much in the way of resources before finally being discarded. Because of this development blind alley and the now pressing need to upgrade its existing 3-litre engine, the company decided to look outwards to find something suitable.

It was Rover’s Managing Director, William Martin-Hurst, who secured the use of the 3.5-litre V8 engine, having cast far and wide for something suitable – and deciding upon the Buick 215. Knowing that the engine had recently been phased out by General Motors, he approached the company, offering to purchase the rights to build it and all of the tooling. The deal was certainly an audacious one because of the fact that it involved an outright payment to the American multi-national, thereby avoiding further royalty payments in the future. The deal was hammered out during the winter months of 1964 and by the following January, the engine was the property of Rover.

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