London taxis, the second life of diesel cars

On the second-hand market, there is a good supply of diesel-fueled London taxis. Which are reused for ceremonies and more. Prices are very variable

Alessandro Conti

@
alpha_conti

03 July

– Milan

Purchase prices on the second-hand market are extremely variable, ranging from 3,000 to 60,000 pounds. With these figures, to which must be added, in the case of an Italian buyer, the costs of transport, import and registration, it is possible to take home a truly exotic vehicle, giving it a second life. That is a London taxi with diesel engine. Current regulations in the British capital do not prohibit the circulation of cabby with heat engine. However the rules of the Ulez, the ultra low emission zone, whose daily admission costs 12.5 pounds, as far as taxis are concerned, they require a maximum vehicle age of 15 years. In addition, the new cars must be electric, that is the Levc Tx built by Geely since 2017, which cost around 55,000 pounds each but which benefit from incentives from Transport for London, the city’s transport authority.

wedding cars and ships

One of the classic second lives of London taxis with heat engines is the one that sees them as protagonists as wedding or ceremony cars. In these cases, the purchase costs must be added to the costs of refurbishing the interiors and customizations. One of the most luxurious restorations was carried out by Kahn Automobiles: a triumph of white leather upholstery with stitching, aluminum pedals, the roof of the car covered with LEDs for a “starry sky” effect that made the taxi a 100-inch vehicle. thousand pounds. Five examples of the TX4, series built between 2007 and 2017, were made and sold. Even more original is the creation of Paul Bacon, an engine enthusiast who, starting from the first series of London taxis, the FX4s built between 1958 and 1997, built a pickup inspired by the Ford F1 of the 1940s. To the British newspaper Autocar explained that “the beauty of the traditional London taxi is that it has a separate chassis that doesn’t corrode much, while the Fairway (the name of the iconic taxi, ed) is powered by a bulletproof 2.7-liter Nissan diesel engine that propels the vehicle via an equally robust Toyota three-speed automatic transmission. ”Among the extravagant second lives is a pirate ship transformation complete with a wooden cover of the body and jolly roger flag in the tail, sorry for the stern.

different prices

Just to give some examples of taxis for sale found on specialized sites, the request for a 2017 TX4 with a 2.5-liter diesel engine and 101 hp with 3,200 miles in assets is 59,999 pounds. To make a direct comparison to the same series, another 2007 TX4 with 300,000 miles traveled is valued at 3,250 pounds. In between, for example, a 2001 TXI with 194,400 miles costs £ 3,500. Below two thousand pounds a 2006 TXI with 389 thousand miles in assets for which 1,995 pounds are required. Apart from examples remains the fact that, thanks to Covid, the number of taxis in London fell by 30% between 2020 and 2021, reaching 13,400 cars of which 9,073 are diesel-powered. Which is a clue that it may be a good time for a special purchase.



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