The Night Mail

[Winslow Boy]

58 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

The UK got more than any other country.

 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1227834/distribution-marshall-plan-by-country/

 

Well that is interesting. I can only assume faulty memory on my part for that particular element. If I recall the name of the documentary I'll post on here. As I said I did feel, and still do, that it was good program being well researched etc.

[Erichill16]

4 hours ago, chrisf said:

FIAT used to stand for Fix It Again Tomorrow ...

 

Chris

And my classic, British,

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.

 

 

[AndyID]

17 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

Well that is interesting. I can only assume faulty memory on my part for that particular element. If I recall the name of the documentary I'll post on here. As I said I did feel, and still do, that it was good program being well researched etc.

 

The UK borrowed a lot of money from the US at the start of the war and I don't think the loan was forgiven by the US. That might have been the thrust of the discussion in so far as one hand giveth while the other hand taketh away. In retrospect the UK was complacent after WW1 and failed to adequately react to what was happening in Germany. Had it done so it might not have been necessary to borrow so heavily from the US but that's pure speculation on my part.

[simontaylor484]

Worst car I had for reliability was an 03 plate Peugeot 307 luckily a company car mainly electrical faults and involving the indicator stalks. The heater also packed up one snowy day I couldn't defrost the inside of the windscreen. The other fault was the relay for the engine cooling fan stuck on and drained the battery.

 

[AndyID]

58 minutes ago, jamie92208 said:

At that time the fleet buyers dominated the new car market and only looked at the running costs.

 

 

Yes, things might have been a bit different if companies had payed their managers and sales-force more so that they could buy their own cars rather than giving them "tax dodge" vehicles that were replaced after a couple of years.

 

(That said I had one myself. I talked them into giving me a 2.0L Capri instead of a Cortina )

[AndyID]

35 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

And my classic, British,

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.

 

 

 

We passed a car stuck on the hard-shoulder yesterday with its bonnet up. I did a double-take when I realized it was a TR7. Haven't seen one here in yonks.

 

It was raining heavily at the time and I suspect the ignition system got a bit damp.

[AndyID]

48 minutes ago, Erichill16 said:

And my classic, British,

Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious.

 

 

 

On the subject of completely impractical vehicles......

 

 

 

[Tony_S]

35 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

The UK borrowed a lot of money from the US at the start of the war and I don't think the loan was forgiven by the US. 

The WW1 loan was repaid in 2015. No idea about WW2 loans, I just remember  the publicity about the WW1 loan. 

[Erichill16]

15 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

On the subject of completely impractical vehicles......

 

 

 

The two cars are actually linked, even though mine is from 1968!
The Fiat 124 is almost a badge engineered Mazda MX 5 which was inspired by the Lotus Elan of the 1960’s.

[Erichill16]

15 minutes ago, AndyID said:

 

On the subject of completely impractical vehicles......

 

 

 

The two cars are actually linked, even though mine is from 1968!
The Fiat 124 is almost a badge engineered Mazda MX 5 which was inspired by the Lotus Elan of the 1960’s.

[Winslow Boy]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

The UK borrowed a lot of money from the US at the start of the war and I don't think the loan was forgiven by the US. That might have been the thrust of the discussion in so far as one hand giveth while the other hand taketh away. In retrospect the UK was complacent after WW1 and failed to adequately react to what was happening in Germany. Had it done so it might not have been necessary to borrow so heavily from the US but that's pure speculation on my part.

There was a considerable amount of anti-war feeling after the first world war - the war to end all wars.

 

My mother used to say something her father said to her about how glad he'd had only daughters as he didn't want to lose one in another war. This was coming from someone who was from a military family and had lost several brothers etc. So it's certainly easy to see how politicians of the time would also not have wanted another war.

 

Yes I think I recall something about how the loans Britian had to take took have only just been paid off in the last couple of years.

 

I also recall reading a book where the plot was based on gold shipments as part of that repayment being hijacked. 

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, AndyID said:

 

The UK borrowed a lot of money from the US at the start of the war and I don't think the loan was forgiven by the US. 

The WW1 loan was repaid in 2015. No idea about WW2 loans, I just remember  the publicity about the WW1 loan. 

[PhilJ W]

IIRC Gordon Brown paid off the WW2 loans c. 2007.

[simontaylor484]

According to Wikipedia the WW2 loan was paid of in 2006 it was meant to have been paid off in 50 installments since 1950 the missing installments came from the 1970s financial crisis

[rockershovel]

2 hours ago, jamie92208 said:

What I was told was that Ford targeted the fleet buyers so every model had a bottom of the range with a small engine. The 1100 Escort was one. I think there was definitely a Cortina that had something like a 1300 in it.  We had some 1100 mk 1 Escorts as pandas, utterley useless in 1974. The Sgts car was a 1300, a totally different  car to drive.

 

At that time the fleet buyers dominated the new car market and only looked at the running costs.

 

Jamie

Total ownership cost was the driving feature. Vauxhall worked that one out and time ago, and dominated the fleet sales market for many years with relatively expensive cars on buy-back deals - a predecessor of leasing. 

 

The 1300 Cortina was an awful slug, sold only to fleet buyers. There was a complex hierarchy of company cars, a whole code of engine size, body and trim. 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

The two cars are actually linked, even though mine is from 1968!
The Fiat 124 is almost a badge engineered Mazda MX 5 which was inspired by the Lotus Elan of the 1960’s.

 

Oi! The body is completely different and actually a bit bigger, the suspension is tweaked quite a bit and the engine is completely different.

 

It also looks much better IMHO . There are so few of them here that all the car buffs do a rubber-neck when they see it.

 

(but the connection to the Elan is quite true. I always fancied an Elan but the Fiata is a very practical alternative.)

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

The two cars are actually linked, even though mine is from 1968!
The Fiat 124 is almost a badge engineered Mazda MX 5 which was inspired by the Lotus Elan of the 1960’s.

 

You can say that again! (Rmweb seems to be double posting )

[J. S. Bach]

8 hours ago, chrisf said:

FIAT used to stand for Fix It Again Tomorrow ...

 

Chris

Ford = Found On Road Dead

 

or

 

Fixed Or Repaired Daily

 

 

 

Edited March 5, 2022 by J. S. Bach
To add some information.

[AndyID]

11 minutes ago, J. S. Bach said:

Ford = Found On Road Dead

 

or

 

Fixed Or Repaired Daily

 

 

 

 

I like to invent alternative model names for cars, as in:

 

Austin All Agro   (Allegro)

Morris Maroon Ya (Marina)

Chevy Impaler  (Impala)

Ford Exhibition (Expedition)

Toyota Land Bruiser (Land Cruiser)

Ford Extortion (Excursion)

Chevy Taco (Tahoe)

Jeep Strangler (Wrangler - MrsID's car)

GMC Can Yawn (Canyon - my truck - it's not exactly exciting.)

 

IIRC Tony drives an Ewok.

 

I'm sure the list goes on

[Erichill16]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Oi! The body is completely different and actually a bit bigger, the suspension is tweaked quite a bit and the engine is completely different.

 

It also looks much better IMHO . There are so few of them here that all the car buffs do a rubber-neck when they see it.

 

(but the connection to the Elan is quite true. I always fancied an Elan but the Fiata is a very practical alternative.)

I agree, the Fiat does look nicer, even though they both come out of the same Mazda plant in Hiroshima. 
Your Fiat is a lot more practical than my Lotus. It’s been off the road for about 5 years. 

[AndyID]

1 hour ago, Erichill16 said:

I agree, the Fiat does look nicer, even though they both come out of the same Mazda plant in Hiroshima. 
Your Fiat is a lot more practical than my Lotus. It’s been off the road for about 5 years. 

 

Fiat discontinued the 124 in 2020. Maybe it will become highly collectible but more likely not. I'm hoping mine will outlast me. It should as it's in the garage for half the year.

[Northmoor]

8 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

I like to invent alternative model names for cars, as in:

 

Austin All Agro   (Allegro)

Morris Maroon Ya (Marina)

Chevy Impaler  (Impala)

Ford Exhibition (Expedition)

Toyota Land Bruiser (Land Cruiser)

Ford Extortion (Excursion)

Chevy Taco (Tahoe)

Jeep Strangler (Wrangler - MrsID's car)

GMC Can Yawn (Canyon - my truck - it's not exactly exciting.)

 

IIRC Tony drives an Ewok.

 

I'm sure the list goes on

Austin Maes-trocity (Maestro City)

Toyota Mister Two (MR2)

Ford Exploder (Explorer)

 

And a current model:

Renault Whatthe*&^%doesthatmean (Kadjar)

 

[BSW01]

And don’t forget the

Morris Monty No Go (Montego)

[jamie92208]

I don't remember any more alternative car names but do rember the advert for Fist that got lampooned.

 

Designed by a computer.

Built by a robot.

Driven by a moron.

 

Jamie

 

PS, not pointing at anyone just telling the tale.

Edited March 5, 2022 by jamie92208

[PhilJ W]

Volkswagen Toe-rag (Tuareg)

Edited March 5, 2022 by PhilJ W