A century of motoring in one collection: John Worth shares his classic cars

Having been involved in one of John’s rallies and seen the work that goes into the event, it’s gratifying to witness the generosity of the classic vehicle community.

“Events such as this reinforce NSPCC Childline’s mission of protecting children and preventing cruelty,” said Childline’s Michele Baxter.

“It fuels the NSPCC’s determination to empower children and their families to live their best lives.”

It has been heartwarming to see so many classic car owners joining John for his gathering.

The 55,000-mile Vauxhall Chevette HSR is mostly original, although its magnesium Minilite wheels have been swapped for replicas

The rally attracts around 60 cars each time, with participants navigating from a route book and taking in car-related locations in the Bedfordshire/Buckinghamshire/Hertfordshire area.

They include the Shuttleworth Collection and John’s own Hertfordshire home, where his 20-strong car collection is housed.

When John moved here 30 years ago he owned two cars, a Morgan Plus 8 and a humble Citroën 2CV, but for this aspiring collector, filling the numerous beautifully preserved historic outbuildings that surround his property was part of a longer-term vision that has materialised into an epic assemblage.

The ex-Lord Nuffield Wolseley is a one-off that was a gift to the boss

John no longer owns the Morgan, but the Citroën is still here and, like all the other cars, is used regularly.

It has an interesting backstory, too.

“When I was at uni in 1982 I owned a Riley Elf, which my father thought would be too much of a distraction,” he says.

“So I ended up with the cheapest new model on the market: a £2400 2CV.”

John Worth (left) gives us a tour of his eclectic classic car collection, which includes a Wolseley 2200 (closest) and a Vauxhall VX4/90 racer

It appears beautifully preserved, but John admits that nothing is as it left the factory.

“The chassis, engine and body have all been replaced several times,” he says.

Ironically, the superbly restored 1925 Vauxhall OE-type 30-98 (click here to find out more about it) with which it shares space is remarkably original, with its chassis and body only separated for the first time in 2014 when work was carried out.

John smiles: “If you could have just one car…”

The 1908 Austin 18/25 converts from landaulette to open tourer

Every door that opens brings vehicular contrasts so stark it is impossible to predict what’s coming next.

The 1979 Vauxhall Royale coupé that’s just been revealed was a chance acquisition and the very car his father owned from new.

“It was for sale at the side of the road with ‘£400’ in the window,” John says.

“We drove it down here, and by that time only half the cylinders were working. My dad always had six-pot Vauxhalls; they go so well.”

Classic Matchbox toys in John Worth’s collection

In the next building a 1989 Austin Metro – which, John notes, was one of the last badged as an Austin – keeps company with three ultra-rare Morgans.

The earliest, a 1914 Standard, is one of only five surviving pre-WW1 models.

Powered by a two-cylinder JAP engine with a two-speed bevel ’box (and no reverse), it looks awkward to drive, with its wheel-mounted hand throttle.

A 1900 Daimler in puzzle form

But John is a big fan: “I’ve done the Pioneer Run in it, and it’s eligible for VSCC two-cylinder events.

“It has a high centre of gravity, though, which makes it a bit tricky.”

Facing it is another three-wheeler, a 1926 Morgan Family. “It’s completely original and rare now,” he says.

“Most were converted into two-seaters. It’ll sit at 45mph and it’s really stable. They’re brilliant things, but the Austin Seven was always more popular.”

John Worth is a big supporter of Drive It Day; he is a former trustee of the NSPCC

John’s last Morgan, while more conventional, is no less unusual.

The 1964 Plus 4 Plus, one of just 26 made, was aimed at heralding a new image for Morgan, with semi-exotic styling and a glassfibre body.

Designed by Peter Morgan – “it’s got a bubble roof so he could keep his hat on,” laughs John – it was a commercial flop due to high pricing, but did succeed in aligning Morgan with Swinging Sixties culture, helped by its headline 110mph top speed.

John’s collection (here with his 1926 Morgan Family) is a broad church

The following garage’s occupant is a 1908 Austin 18/24 Norfolk Tourer.

John is hugely passionate about vehicles from this era.

“The period between 1906 and 1914 is just lost, yet the engineering advancements that were made were incredible,” he enthuses.

This is the last Wolseley registered for the road

The 18/24 backs up his assertion.

Built two years after Austin’s very first cars emerged, it would have been imposing and technically advanced, powered by a 4.5-litre four-cylinder engine with one of the earliest Bosch magnetos.

“It was bought new by Captain Archibald Eyton of Eyton Hall in Shropshire,” says John.

“He had three cars, all of which still exist.”

The Heinz-sponsored Hornet Crayford conversion

“It was sold by his family in 1950 to the Veteran Car Club, and it has only had three owners since,” he continues.

“Many cars were made like this, but they have all gone now.”

John demonstrates how the windows and front ’screen of the Norfolk Tourer’s landaulette body fold into the vehicle, railway-carriage style.

The B-posts can then be removed, turning it into an open tourer and a much lighter car. “Absolutely ingenious,” laughs John.

The one-of-57 Wolseley Hornet convertible hides a Max Factor make-up tray in the cabin

He bemoans how undervalued cars such as this are, even though far fewer exist than the more popular pre-1905 London to Brighton vehicles.

On the subject of Veteran Car Run models, John’s 1900 Daimler Type A Tonneau, with its distinctive ‘EX 10’ registration, is, he ventures: “Probably the most important car in the collection.”

Alas, when we visited it was away being prepared for the 2023 L2B.

Heinz gave away these Wolseley Hornet convertibles and the winners could choose to have their initials painted on the doors

We glance admiringly at Lord Nuffield’s Wolseley 25 Drophead Coupé, gifted to him by loyal employees in 1937 (more on that here), on the way to another, more diminutive Wolseley, but one with an equally endearing story.

Built in 1966, it’s a Mini-based Hornet model, one of 57 convertibles converted by Crayford and then gifted by Heinz (hence the number) to competition winners from 57 towns and cities across Great Britain.

A deal was struck whereby Crayford only converted these Hornets and no others, making them bespoke rarities today.

Irvin seatbelts in the special-edition Wolseley Hornet drop-top

Heinz specification also included cabin goodies such as an electric kettle, a picnic hamper, Irvin seatbelts, a Max Factor make-up tray, a Pye two-in-one portable radio and cooler boxes built into the rear.

You could even have your initials monogrammed on to the doors.

John bought the car as a wreck for £1000 and, with a friend, restored it over 10 years.

You might think that losing the roof would have affected much of its structural integrity, but apparently Crayford worked wonders in strengthening the body. “It’s really solid on the road,” he says.

There’s a perfect 1989 Austin Metro in this collection of classic cars

Of the five Vauxhalls in John’s collection (Queen Elizabeth II’s 1983 Viceroy Shooting Brake was off site when we visited), the 1960 VX4/90 has perhaps the most notable history.

Originally raced by Bill Blydenstein at Goodwood in the 1963 St Mary’s Trophy, it was converted for rallying later in the ’60s and many years on bought by gentleman racer Paul Clayson, who commissioned a full restoration back to Blydenstein specification.

Five decades after its first race, the car returned to Goodwood for the 2013 Revival’s St Mary’s Trophy, with Paul sharing the drive with legendary Vauxhall ace John Cleland.

John reveals the Austin 18/25’s 4.5-litre ‘four’

Paul campaigned the VX4/90 with the HSCC for a number of seasons thereafter and allowed Vauxhall Motors its use on media drives, including a run across the French Alps from Monte-Carlo to Geneva one year.

John bought the car from Paul more recently and now has plans for son Alexander to compete in it.

Keeping the VX company is another sporting Griffin, a 1980 Chevette HSR – one of 33 built, of which just 18 are thought to survive.

Other than the fragile magnesium Minilite wheels it once wore, now replaced by replicas, the car is original and has covered a mere 55,000 miles.

From left: Rolls-Royce Camargue, 1908 Austin, Citroën SM and Morgan Plus 4 Plus

John’s fondness for often-maligned motors reaches its nadir in the largest of his many outbuildings.

First to shed its wraps is the very last Wolseley registered for the road: a 2200, built in August 1975.

Today it looks a little sad thanks to one of its Hydragas spheres ‘popping’ on a recent trip and collapsing a front corner.

“The model was only on the market for six months before it was withdrawn due to poor reliability and replaced by the Princess,” says John.

“Harris Mann did a great job on these, but I’ve spent a lot on it and it’s worthless.”

John’s Morgan Standard and Plus 4 Plus

Next to it is what appears to be a brand-new Rolls-Royce Camargue.

It is, in fact, the 1976 British Motor Show car, bought by John with just 2900 miles showing (it has now covered 8000).

“They’re brilliant cars,” enthuses John. “When they were new in ’75 you could for the same price buy two Silver Shadows and a Mini. Absolutely bonkers!

“I bought it through P&A Wood, but my wife will only go out in it in the dark – it’s too ostentatious for her.”

The glassfibre-bodied Morgan Plus 4 Plus is a rarity

John’s favourite here, though, is the Citroën SM, its long bonnet poking out from between the building’s wooden beams.

It never enjoyed a flawless reputation for reliability or build quality, but John begs to differ: “Of all the cars, this and the Royale are the two you can just step into and go anywhere in Europe without thinking about it.

“The SM is brilliant to drive – I couldn’t do without it.”

The Vauxhall VX4/90 was raced at Goodwood in 1963 and, 50 years later, in 2013

John bought the car 18 years ago: “It was originally owned by the chairman of a Citroën dealership in Jersey.

“He went on holiday to Paris in it each year and had it serviced by the factory while he was there.

“If you look after them, they’re fine.”

After being entranced by this quirky 1970s trio, it occurs that the only decade (save the production-bereft 1940s) not represented between the dawn of motoring and the ’80s is the 1950s.

But after entering the final building, it appears that box has been ticked, too.

The Vauxhall Royale coupé is a great everyday classic car

A gorgeous 1953 Frazer Nash Targa Florio Gran Sport sits beside an equally lovely 1931 Boulogne II, the pair juxtaposing perfectly everything else we’ve seen today.

“The Targa Florio was originally bought and raced straight from the factory,” explains John. “It’s got the straight-six engine and was built as a racing car, with wide wheels, cutaway front wings, huge Alfin drums and an oil cooler.

“I’ve owned it for 10 years. For a 70-year-old, it’s like a modern car, with a top speed of 120mph and 0-60mph in 9 secs.

“I’ve been to Scotland and Ireland in it; it’s very practical because of its big boot.”

John Worth’s classic car collection earns its keep for a good cause

John’s second Frazer Nash is one of only 350 cars built by the company pre-war, made rarer still because of its two-plus-two configuration.

“It will cruise at 65mph all day long,” says John.

“It’s quite heavy, so not that competitive on track, but they handle so well – the back goes out all the time.

“They’re also good for touring because you’ve got luggage space.

“When you tour with these, you take every spare, every tool, lubricant… The car is laden with stuff.”

Clockwise from left: Frazer Nash, Morgan Family, Vauxhalls Royale and 30-98, Wolseley Hornet

The Nashes bring our tour to a close.

Rarely do you find a collection so diligently curated, with each vehicle, humble or exotic, well storied and, in John’s hands, well exercised.

That its owner has been able to leverage the collection’s appeal for such a good cause makes it special beyond the sum of its parts.

Images: John Bradshaw

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