For those interested in old cars.

[Enterprisingwestern]

20 minutes ago, alastairq said:

How does one wear the seatbelt when reclined right back??

 

12 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

I don't think sir requires a seatbelt with what madam my have in mind.... 

 

Well, you know what they say, fur coat,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,!

 

Mike.

[Jol Wilkinson]

4 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Is that an Elan.......Super Safety?

That's something I hadn't heard of until you mentioned it. Probably the only thing the Opel GT had in common with an Elan was two seats and "pop up" headlights. Even then they din't pop up but rotated longitudinally, operated by a lever on the centre console.

 

Something else from my GM Ltd./Opel days was this Lime Green Opel Rekord Coupe (the clown in the photo was a former colleague from Ford). I had several Rekords after the GT and several Manta A 1.9 Berlinettas. 

[Jol Wilkinson]

Something a bit different. This MG VA 1.5L four seat tourer was my first car, bought in 1965. Presumably now scrapped as the number is allocated to a 2016 Nissan Coupe as a vanity plate.

 

The 1937/38 VA was in Duo Green (pale green body panels with dark green wings). After sorting out the bodywork, I repainted it dark blue. It was generally pretty tired and as an impecunious student I could only afford to maintain it but not restore some of the tired bits. The built in hydraulic jacks had been disconnected and the torque straps to restrain the front axle rotating under braking needed totally refurbishing. Despite owing the VA for a couple of years and covering  quite a few thousand miles, this is the only photo I have. VA's are pretty rare nowadays, not having had the desirability of the two seaters or the refinement of the six cylinder SA or WA. 

 

 

[boxbrownie]

21 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

That's something I hadn't heard of until you mentioned it. Probably the only thing the Opel GT had in common with an Elan was two seats and "pop up" headlights. Even then they din't pop up but rotated longitudinally, operated by a lever on the centre console.

 

‘I meant the vehicle on the far left........

[Jol Wilkinson]

2 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

‘I meant the vehicle on the far left........

You didn't say so.

 

That might be an Elan (S4 I think) that belonged to a close friend. He now owns a yellow sprint named Birdie (after Birds Custard). I on the other hand have to slum it in a 73 MGB Roadster.

 

 

[boxbrownie]

Just now, Jol Wilkinson said:

You didn't say so.

 

That might be an Elan (S4 I think) that belonged to a close friend. He now owns a yellow sprint named Birdie (after Birds Custard). I on the other hand have to slum it in a 73 MGB Roadster.

 

 

Sorry thought it was obvious  it’ll be an S4 as the lights were squarer in shape and only the S4 could come with either a S4 or SS (super safety) badge.

 

Lovely MGB, odd one though.....not LHD but with federal marker lamps, was it imported and converted?

[stewartingram]

8 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

 

 

 I had one of those sun visors on my Austin A30. Fantastic things, I hardly ever had to put the wipers on. One day I returned home from work in Cambridge, 15 miles (mostly on what was then the A604) to St.Ives. It was snowing heavily, it was pretty bad as there was only one lane that was driveable on. Most cars had their windscreens covered in snow with just a patch where the wipers managed to clear it;. I never turned my wipers on at all!

 

Stewart

Edited January 4, 2020 by stewartingram

[Jol Wilkinson]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Sorry thought it was obvious  it’ll be an S4 as the lights were squarer in shape and only the S4 could come with either a S4 or SS (super safety) badge.

 

Lovely MGB, odd one though.....not LHD but with federal marker lamps, was it imported and converted?

Original RHD but rebuilt  with new wings, cills, etc. by a previous owner (it had been on the south coast for some years) in 1989 when fifteen years old, which seems about par for the course. It appears that is when it was fitted with US side markers but is otherwise standard except for cream leather seats and some other modern improvements.

 

The photo of the B was taken at the Helmingham Hall (near Stowmarket) Show in 2016. Generally a very good annual event with lots of interesting stuff including such delights as this Peerless;

 

 

[boxbrownie]

14 hours ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Original RHD but rebuilt  with new wings, cills, etc. by a previous owner (it had been on the south coast for some years) in 1989 when fifteen years old, which seems about par for the course. It appears that is when it was fitted with US side markers but is otherwise standard except for cream leather seats and some other modern improvements.

 

The photo of the B was taken at the Helmingham Hall (near Stowmarket) Show in 2016. Generally a very good annual event with lots of interesting stuff including such delights as this Peerless;

 

 

Very nice, it is odd when restorers decide to “upgrade” from the original with non standard additions but hey ho, it’s their choice and TBH those side markers could have been worse and arguably make it safer pulling out of side turnings.

Love the cream interior mod, as it should have been.......Stowmarket show you say, was John Bull there with his Porsche?

Edited January 5, 2020 by boxbrownie

[Jol Wilkinson]

I don't know. It is a big show, and generally the modern classic owners (Ferrari's, Porsche's, Lamborghini, etc.)  don't mingle with the owners of the older car. I didn't go in 2018 and 2019, preferring the smaller local shows but will probably take the MGB again this year.

 

Looking at JB's online profile, it appears he was at North East London Poly in Longbridge Road, Barking (which seemed to undergo several name changes during the four years I was there) at about the same time as me. However I was on a Ford six month "block sandwich" student course and I think he was he was with Smiths Instruments so our paths very likely wouldn't have crossed. I had the old MG VA when I was at college but sold it to build a Special based on a two seat racing car chassis, originally from a Lotus 7.

 

Having been looking for photos of my cars  I owned in my yoof, I would most like to own Cortina Mk 2 two door GT I had after the Special, but like the VA it too seems to have disappeared.

[Owd Bob]

A nice mk2 for you Jol, 4 door but it was used in an Andrew Marr  BBC2 prog' i believe.

 

[boxbrownie]

45 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

I don't know. It is a big show, and generally the modern classic owners (Ferrari's, Porsche's, Lamborghini, etc.)  don't mingle with the owners of the older car. I didn't go in 2018 and 2019, preferring the smaller local shows but will probably take the MGB again this year.

 

Looking at JB's online profile, it appears he was at North East London Poly in Longbridge Road, Barking (which seemed to undergo several name changes during the four years I was there) at about the same time as me. However I was on a Ford six month "block sandwich" student course and I think he was he was with Smiths Instruments so our paths very likely wouldn't have crossed. I had the old MG VA when I was at college but sold it to build a Special based on a two seat racing car chassis, originally from a Lotus 7.

 

Having been looking for photos of my cars  I owned in my yoof, I would most like to own Cortina Mk 2 two door GT I had after the Special, but like the VA it too seems to have disappeared.

John was at Dunton, he retired a couple of years before me but I saw him a few times in retirement before I followed suit and moved down here.......best times as I did a lot of work with SVE and the lads, some very dodgy going’s on but it got things done and the results really paid off. People mock Ford vehicles but for those that really know they are up there engineered with the best.

 

Its the service that lets us down  just kidding Jol.......

Edited January 5, 2020 by boxbrownie

[Rugd1022]

3 hours ago, Owd Bob said:

A nice mk2 for you Jol, 4 door but it was used in an Andrew Marr  BBC2 prog' i believe.

 

 

Lovely, just lovely. Nice to see the 'Life On Mars' Cortina again too... .

 

Mrs.D1022 said to me the other day ''I see you're going through another 'six monthly' phase, looking at old Jags and P5Bs again, I can almost set my watch by you, have you gone off Maseratis or something...?''. She has a point bless her, I'm still looking at the Italian stuff but despite the cooling off in recent months of prices of classics the older Alfas, Lancias etc are still just that bit too far out of reach and still rising in a few cases, at least the quality specimens are anyway. Those online ads for XJ6s, Daimler Double Sixes and P5B Coupes won't peruse themselves will they... 

Edited January 5, 2020 by Rugd1022

[Owd Bob]

I believe the mk2 cortina was in LOM as well but i don't recall seeing it myself, it cost us £350 to hire in the LOM Cortina for our little local show but it it brought the crowds in back then as the second series was still being shown on the telly. I've always tried and kept my classic vehicle interests  to bog standard every day vehicles, it was drilled into me by my parents when i was a kid and i learned from an early age to keep my hands and eyes off owt i could'nt afford

 

[Anglian]

Did anybody else go the Bicester Scramble today? It's the first time I've been – what an event, I can't wait for the next one now.

[Wolseley]

Here are some Cortinas I've spotted around town in the last few years:

 

In Botany:

 

In Redfern:

 

In Broadway:

 

In Glebe:

 

And in the Sydney CBD:

[Owd Bob]

Had a ride out in the Daughters car on Saturday, they kindly took me out to a Narrow gauge Model display in Rainford, Merseyside, on the way back Eastbound on the A580 East Lancs Rd.the Daughter said ..there's an old car behind us..so i took a cheeky snap at the next set of lights near Haydock.  

 

[PhilJ W]

This is interesting https://chrisiles.co.uk/2018/08/26/dingle-overhead-railway-tunnel-2/?fbclid=IwAR14-h_CQwKq1U7YknRUGXhGR23NoWu9j6FvU_W-4E5d1n3b_Bg40Yaw3xg

There are several classics still down there including a late model Humber Hawk with an interesting number plate. A Rover P5b and a Morris Minor. The Humber and the Rover look salvable. Some of the other cars seem to be suffering from peeling paint but rust doesn't seem to be a problem. There are more pics on Facebook on a group called 'Disused railways'.

Edited January 7, 2020 by PhilJ W

[Rugd1022]

Some more local stuff in and around Rugby from the '50s to the '70s.... the shot with Her Maj in the Roller is from her visit to the AEI Works in '67, almost everything in the background of this shot is now gone...

 

 

 

 

 

[Paperlad]

In pic 4 there’s a Vauxhall Victor estate, my very first car was one of those, a 1969 Victor 2000 with three speed column change and bench front seat, all finished in a light (dove?) grey. It was as leaky as a sieve and a bit of a rot box but I thought it was great and I loved ‘cruising’ about in it . I’ll see if I can dig out a picture of it.

[Paperlad]

7 minutes ago, Paperlad said:

In pic 4 there’s a Vauxhall Victor estate, my very first car was one of those, a 1969 Victor 2000 with three speed column change and bench front seat, all finished in a light (dove?) grey. It was as leaky as a sieve and a bit of a rot box but I thought it was great and I loved ‘cruising’ about in it . I’ll see if I can dig out a picture of it.

and here it is, sorry about the quality though!

 

Edited January 8, 2020 by Paperlad

[PhilJ W]

What is the make of the vintage tourer in the first pic?

 

[BernardTPM]

4 hours ago, Paperlad said:

In pic 4 there’s a Vauxhall Victor estate, my very first car was one of those, a 1969 Victor 2000 with three speed column change and bench front seat, all finished in a light (dove?) grey.

Interesting. The 2000 normally came with individual front seats so someone must have specially ordered the bench seat.

[PhilJ W]

12 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

Interesting. The 2000 normally came with individual front seats so someone must have specially ordered the bench seat.

Normally the ones with the three speed column change gearbox had a bench seat and those with the floor change four speed box had separate seats. The one I had (1969 saloon) was unusual as it had the four speed floor change and the bench seat. I had to be careful if a young lady was sat in the middle of the front seat when changing gear.

Edited January 9, 2020 by PhilJ W
Fat finger syndrome.

[Joseph_Pestell]

8 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

What is the make of the vintage tourer in the first pic?

 

 

I'd like to know as well. The clue will be the radiator and badge which I can't quite make out on screen. I think the bodywork is probably a coachworks special.

 

Absolutely beautiful.

5 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

Interesting. The 2000 normally came with individual front seats so someone must have specially ordered the bench seat.

 

Or it was a "cut and shut".