Classic Sports Car Presents – Ultimate Buyers Guide 1970s 80s – Special Collectors Edition 2026

Summary

44 cars from the 1970s and 1980s, each with a buying guide covering mechanical quirks, rust spots, market prices and restoration costs — Classic and Sports Car Presents Issue 35: Ultimate Buyers Guide 1970s & 80s (£9.99) is a 190-page reference manual that spans the Alfa Romeo Alfasud (p6) to the Volvo 240 Series (p190). Alphabetically organised, each entry delivers a spec table, common fault list, parts availability rating, and real-world price range for average, good and concours examples. The Guide is edited by Alastair Clements with revisions by Malcolm McKay, drawing on decades of C&SC road test archives.

The entries range from obvious icons — Porsche 928 (p154), Ferrari Testarossa (p70), Lamborghini Countach (p100), De Tomaso Pantera (p56) — to everyday classics like the Austin Allegro (p24), Morris Marina (p146) and VW Golf GTI Mk1 (p186). Each marque entry opens with a summary paragraph that positions the car in its historical context, followed by a "What to Look For" checklist organised by body, engine, transmission, suspension and interior. The price guide section at the end of each entry assigns a star rating for parts availability and specialist support.

The welcome section references Jaguar E-type Series 3 (p90) as the most affordable V12 classic on the market, the Lamborghini Countach (p100) as the poster car that still commands six-figure prices, and the Volvo 240 (p190) as the sensible choice that has begun to appreciate. The guide covers both obvious stars and overlooked bargains, with honest assessments of which cars are genuinely usable daily and which are best kept as garage queens.

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Content Guide

▸ Iconic Exotics
p.70 · Ferrari Testarossa
The 1980s poster car with the side-strake design and flat-12 engine. Common belt-tension issues, the electrical gremlin that affects every example, and the price range for a good UK car (£70,000-£95,000). The single modification that can affect future values.

p.100 · Lamborghini Countach
The wedge that defined supercar design in the 1970s and 80s. Engine access difficulty, cooling system weaknesses, and why early LP400 models command three times the price of later 5000QV versions. The chassis number range to seek.

p.154 · Porsche 928
Porsche's V8 grand tourer as a used buy: timing belt intervals, the rear-wheel steering system quirks, and why manual-gearbox cars carry a 25 percent premium. The model year that got the most significant mechanical upgrades.

▸ Everyday Classics
p.150 · Peugeot 205 GTI
The hot hatch benchmark: rust locations, the 1.6 versus 1.9 debate, and why a well-maintained 1.9 now costs £15,000-plus. The single suspension bush that transforms the handling more than any other replacement.

p.186 · VW Golf GTI Mk1
The original hot hatch: identifying genuine GTI models from rebadged cars, common fuel-injection problems, and the current market (£8,000-£20,000 depending on originality). The interior trim part that is almost impossible to find new.

p.190 · Volvo 240 Series
The sensible classic: why the 240 is finally appreciating after years as a budget buy, the rust-proofing that makes it more durable than most rivals, and the engine variant that offers the best balance of performance and reliability. Insurance costs compared to any other car in this guide.

▸ Bargain Buys
p.6 · Alfa Romeo Alfasud
The Alfasud's notorious rust reputation examined: where they rot, how much it costs to fix properly, and why a restored example is now a sensible investment at £4,000-£8,000. The engine modification that solves the original carburation issues.

p.24 · Austin Allegro
The car everyone loves to hate — but why the Allegro is now a genuinely interesting buy at under £3,000. The square steering wheel was not the worst design decision; the real flaw is the Hydragas suspension. A specialist who can still service it.

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Editor's Take

This is the most useful reference guide C&SC has produced in its special-edition series. The alphabetical organisation makes it a genuine lookup tool rather than a narrative read, and the "What to Look For" checklists are specific enough to take to a viewing. The price ranges are current as of mid-2026 and include multiple condition grades, which most buying guides skip. The coverage of everyday classics (Allegro, Marina, Volvo 240) alongside exotics gives the guide practical balance. However, the page count per car is uneven — the Ferrari Testarossa gets 4 pages while the Austin Allegro gets 2, which reflects the editor's priorities but not the reader's likely needs. The photography is inconsistent: some cars get professional studio shots while others use period archive images that are low-resolution. At £9.99, it's fairly priced for the depth, but the spiral-bound format of previous editions would have been more practical as a workshop companion.

Strengths
• "What to Look For" checklists are specific and actionable
• Multi-grade price ranges for every model
• Covers everyday classics alongside exotic models

Weaknesses
• Page allocation favours exotics over affordable classics
• Photography quality is uneven across entries

Verdict: Essential — the definitive single-volume buying reference for 1970s-80s classics, indispensable for anyone actively shopping in this market.