Kieran Turner's photos with the keyword: classic car

I'm slightly embarrassingly rubbish at US cars, but I suspect this is an early '70s Chevy Nova... do please correct me if not.

Josie patiently waiting while I take a photo of one of my favourite antique petrol stations, in Sussex. The car dates the photo to 1992-ish, and I have a feeling the station may have sadly bitten the dust by now. As a point of geeky interest, Josie was a Mark I Landcrab (Morris 1800) from 1967. The Mark I had a number of lovely design details which were lost from later models, probably to save costs. These included chunky chrome door and handbrake handles, plus a split-bench front seat. I recently found that these seem to have lived on a little longer on Australian utility models than they did in the UK, which might be a useful lead if you're looking for spares! If I were a Mark II or III owner, I'd be sorely tempted to carefully store the plastic parts and replace them, not forgetting the delightful indicator stalk with the green light on the end! Scanned from a batch of old prints with my surprisingly short-lived Epson 4490.

Travel in style! I dug this out from a box of prints while I was looking for something else. Thought I'd donate the photo as an illustration to the Wikimedia Commons, but I couldn't work out exactly which model of Crossley this is. (The registration is no longer listed with the DVLA online, sadly, so that was no help.) Update: thanks to Malcolm Asquith of the Crossley Register, I now know that this is a 25/30 model from 1920. It wasn't destroyed (as the absence from the DVLA records threatened) but went off to enjoy its retirement in Ireland.

Harley, my much beloved first car. A 1970 Sunbeam Alpine fastback, with a gorgeous polished wood dashboard (an upgraded one from a Humber Sceptre, I suspect) and the same unbreakable 1725 engine as my grandad's Hillman Hunters, for added nostalgia ;) I learned how to do little restorative jobs through the summer until I got my driving license, for example on those little bits of rust you can see around the door in this photo. By the time a license came around I'd sorted out every little ding in the bodywork, and my mum's friend Norman had helped me change a clutch cylinder. My dad stepped in to get the head skimmed, and by the end of the year this was an amazing Alpine. And if you look carefully, in the passenger seat is my much beloved Grandma Meg. Both are now absent. x

An Alvis TD21 (I believe), in gorgeous condition, just minding its own business outside a restaurant on Liverpool's Hope Street — oddly, but appropriately-ish here, named "The London Carriage Works". I've always fancied an Alvis and this one reinforces that, though I'd have to have a soft-top! I'll take the opportunity to provide a cautionary tale: I've stayed at the hotel associated with this restaurant, the Hope Street Hotel. It carried a good reputation, which I understand is due to the restaurant. I didn't eat there, but I can certainly say I wouldn't stay in the hotel again. Hugely over-priced, not especially nice, and that's after I had the hassle of getting a room - they'd lost my booking even though I'd confirmed it. Even when they did give me a room, they tried to "downgrade" me without offering a discount on the price I'd agreed for the better room. You never get this nonsense with Travelodge! ;)

Le Harve, France. Molly always overheats a little when standing still – I'm planning on fitting an electric fan – and when waiting for ferries (only) this seems to cause a little fuel evaporation, quickly solved by pouring a little into the top of the carb. Guess she doesn't like sailing!

Fairly self-evidently, if you spot that it's me driving, this wasn't taken by me! Molly's particularly thin (175) tyres squealed like you wouldn't believe, and the auto 'box was occasionally a pain, but it was the rapidly cooking brakes that meant I had to back right off after about 5km. But considering that, a laptime of 15 minutes for a 30-year-old car is actually not too shabby! (New Ferrari lap record is just under 7 (which astonished everyone), and a good, sorted hot hatch can do it in 10 or so.)

Oh, my word. This is a thing of beauty.

Oh, my word. This is a thing of beauty.

Oh, my word. This is a thing of beauty.

When did you last see one?

North Africa was a classic-spotter's geeky dream. And you have to love their pimping efforts! This stuff is mostly rubbish of course, but so nostalgic! And if you happen to need any spare parts... All across there were a wealth of old Peugeots - 304s, 305s, 404s (especially the pick-up), 504s, 505s, even a couple of 604s... Towards the west, Renaults were also common, with lots of 12s around, and a few 18s. I suppose I should mention the 4s and 5s too, although they don't seem so rare yet. I saw one 16 and a couple of 20s as well. Further east, Fiat took up the challenge. 131s and 132s everywhere, plus an assortment of the smaller models, dating back as far as the 1300. This Strada was one of a handful we saw. A couple of 127s made an appearance too.