Just bought a 1958 ZB Magnette Varitone, which I collect the Saturday before last. Had to drive it back via M25, M40, M42 and A38 - not the best places to get used to driving a 55 year old car!
Anyway, we got back without incident, other than a high reading on the temperature gauge, which kept going up to the high mark. If the clutch was disengaged, then the reading dropped back almost immediately to normal. But putting load back on the engine made it rise again fairly quickly. We weren't flogging it and stuck to a fairly steady 50 mph.
I've read that this is as likely to be the gauge on a Magnette as a problem with engine temperature and there certainly weren't any signs of it overheating.
Has anyone else out there had this happen to them

?
Regards, Arthur