Author: James Ruppert

Loves cars, especially old cheap ones. Drives a fossilised Land Rover and original Mini Cooper. Incredibly, has won awards for journalism and books.

Car & Classic’s espresso: the 5,000-mile Suzuki Cappuccino

by James Ruppert | Jul 5, 2022 | Articles, Auctions, Classic Cars

Another rare find is brewing within leading online classic and specialist vehicle marketplace Car & Classic’s auction site: the ultimate ‘kei car’ Suzuki Cappuccino, a cup-sized nippy sportscar with the perfect blend of charm, rear-wheel-drive/front engine configuration, light weight, and only just over 5,000 miles on the clock. “Only 28,000 Cappuccinos were built in the

MG ZS EV – updated with longer range and better kit

by James Ruppert | Jul 5, 2022 | Articles, Brown Car Guy, Electric Cars, New Model

The latest updated version of affordable family electric SUV, the MG ZS EV went on sale at the end of last year. The previous edition offered exceptional value, but fell a little short in the overall electric-only mileage range at just 160 miles. The new car gets a bigger 73kWh battery and a vastly improved

1993 Vauxhall Lotus Carlton with 34K miles

by James Ruppert | Jun 20, 2022 | Articles, Auctions, Classic Cars

A rare opportunity to get your hands on perhaps the finest English super saloon ever produced, the Lotus Carlton. The Carlton definitely took the UK by storm and swiftly became infamous for its 177 mph top speed. Powered by the 3615cc Opel C36GET inline six with two Garrett turbochargers, that produces 377bhp and 419lbft of

Could your car be the next Hot Wheels model?

by James Ruppert | Jun 20, 2022 | Articles, Classic Cars, Model Cars

The world’s #1-selling toy in the world and the leading vehicle franchise that unites and represents all segments of car culture, Hot Wheels, is renewing its UK search for a car that could become a Hot Wheels die-cast model. The 2022 Hot Wheels Legends Tour invites car enthusiasts to put forward their life-size vehicle for

New vs old CSL buy a ’73 from Car and Classic

by James Ruppert | Jun 20, 2022 | Articles, Auctions, BMW, Classic Cars

New CSL… Isn’t it too fat? Is the M for Massive? Here’s 50-year-old six cylinders arranged in the original 1973 3.0 CSL E9. Feel better? Restored in 2019 (at a cost of around £80k). Would you believe it, it’s only £3k cheaper than the current Monster, has 178bhp but is also 500kg lighter. That’s two

Bangers and Classics Car Show

by James Ruppert | Jun 6, 2022 | Articles, Bangers and Classics, Car Culture, Classic Cars

Held on a field in Norfolk it attracts a wonderful variety of vehicles, all of them on their own way quite extraordinary. From military vehicles like Jeeps to agricultural royalty namely the Massey Ferguson tractor. There are motorcycles too. Not only that, there are classic cars, the best that we can do is invite you

Ford Mustang Long Term Test – Update 3

by James Ruppert | Jun 5, 2022 | Articles, Brown Car Guy, Road Test

The Ford Mustang GT Convertible, features adaptive or automatic cruise control which is able to adjust the speed of the car automatically based on the traffic in front of it, which means that unlike normal cruise control systems, you don’t have to keep adjusting the speed. This is actually a fairly common feature available on

Ford Mustang Mach 1 Review – Sharper More Planted

by James Ruppert | Jun 5, 2022 | Articles, Brown Car Guy, Road Test

The original Mustang Mach 1 came out in 1969 as a performance package, with enhanced performance and suspension. That’s pretty much true of today’s version too, which you can identify from the more aggressive front lower end, the driving lamp housings in the grille and the bonnet stripe and highlighting around that and along the

Toyota Yaris Cross Review – Cool Crossover!

by James Ruppert | Jun 5, 2022 | Articles, Brown Car Guy, New Model

This is the Toyota Yaris Cross, which is more than just a jacked-up Yaris, but less than an actual SUV, more crossover and hence ‘Cross’. It may look very different and certainly feels bigger, but it’s actually built on the same platform as the current Yaris, but then so is the Prius. It doesn’t lack

Rising Cost of Owning and Buying a Car

by James Ruppert | May 30, 2022 | Articles, Bangernomics, Demotorized, Motoring Costs, News

The cost of everything is only going one way. https://www.playlikemum.com/ have done the sums for us and zeroing in on cars and transportation is a depressing read. Price of a car 2011 average cost: £15,049.50 2017 average cost: £18,000.00 2021 average cost: £23,000.00 6-year change: 27.8% 10-year change: 52.8% A car can be very handy