For those interested in old cars.

[MrWolf]

MiIt was indeed and IIRC the van is still around. Hunt apparently maintained that he couldn't get into too much trouble whilst driving it. I was lucky enough to own one before they became silly money. It needed the usual welding around the handbrake mount and front wing bottoms as well as the usual brakes and electrical repairs, but I wish I could get another one for £150!

[Northmoor]

I think quite a lot of racing drivers/motorcyclists drive quite "normal" cars as they don't want to (a) get themselves into trouble, (b) attract public attention and (c) they get quite enough kicks from racing at three times the speed around a track, so don't go quick on public roads.  Think of Joey Dunlop and his battered van....

[37114]

37 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

MiIt was indeed and IIRC the van is still around. Hunt apparently maintained that he couldn't get into too much trouble whilst driving it. I was lucky enough to own one before they became silly money. It needed the usual welding around the handbrake mount and front wing bottoms as well as the usual brakes and electrical repairs, but I wish I could get another one for £150!

If I recall he wasn't great with money and had been given some posh Merc but couldn't afford to run it. I saw a picture somewhere of Hunt climbing in the A35 with the Merc on bricks behind it..

[Mountain Goat]

4 hours ago, Northmoor said:

I think quite a lot of racing drivers/motorcyclists drive quite "normal" cars as they don't want to (a) get themselves into trouble, (b) attract public attention and (c) they get quite enough kicks from racing at three times the speed around a track, so don't go quick on public roads.  Think of Joey Dunlop and his battered van....

 

I could have been killed through the actions of a formula 1 racing driver who was testing his car at very high speed on the public road.

I was out cycling on a long straight road and he came along at speeds that had to be 150 or more MPH in a red Countash.. Yes he left me room when he overtook but after about three seconds when he had almost dissapeared about half a mile ahead, the wind hit me that his car had made, and I suddenly found myself on the other side of the road facing oncoming traffic and it was all so sudden. If I wasn't so young and quick minded I would have come to grief. 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Mountain Goat

[MrWolf]

Normally when I am out cycling and I have a near miss it's with some stoned chav in a BMW 1 series, or some orange faced hoe in a Range Rover.

You're sure it was an F1 driver and not just a footballer or someone else with more money than taste?

(Countach always reminds me of the wobbly sets of Space 1999...)

[alastairq]

In my professional experience [when I worked, which hasn't been for a few years now, as I avoid any mention of the word 'work' like the plague covid!] I found that 'racing' and 'rally' drivers didn't always make good 'public highway' drivers.

For sure, they may possess vehicle handling skills' but they sadly  lacked 'interaction with other road user' skills.

What is forgotten is, race & rally drivers practice their skills under very controlled conditions.

 

Something the public highway doesn't offer. [At least, in the UK it doesn't]

[MrWolf]

Quite a few motorcycle racers don't own a road machine for the simple reason that on the road there's such obstacles as trees, telephone poles and tractors. They know that they  wouldn't live ten minutes if they forgot that they weren't on the track.

[boxbrownie]

I had a job over at Boreham once, they needed some XR2 modifications recorded and photographed for a technical manual (playing with the idea of a club series apparently)......while there there was an RS1700T countering around the short off road rally handling circuit, I was with Peter Ashcroft when the RS pulled up and the driver started nattering away.......anyway after a bit Peter asked me if I’d like a go in the RS....no not driving, as a passenger.......NEVER AGAIN!!!! The driver was Stig B, jeez I’ve never been so scared in my life....but an experience I’ll never forget.

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

I had a job over at Boreham once, they needed some XR2 modifications recorded and photographed for a technical manual (playing with the idea of a club series apparently)......while there there was an RS1700T countering around the short off road rally handling circuit, I was with Peter Ashcroft when the RS pulled up and the driver started nattering away.......anyway after a bit Peter asked me if I’d like a go in the RS....no not driving, as a passenger.......NEVER AGAIN!!!! The driver was Stig B, jeez I’ve never been so scared in my life....but an experience I’ll never forget.

My BiL was a test driver for Fords, firstly test driving the trucks at Boreham and when that closed he transfered to Dunton test driving vans and cars. The management decided that the drivers would have a go at an advanced driving test and they brought in an ex police driving instructor. To start with the instructor demonstrated what he called progress. That was enough for my BiL, driving around those country lanes around Boreham at speed is not for the faint hearted. Taking the advanced test was optional so BiL opted out.

[boxbrownie]

I was working with our test drivers a lot of the time, most were ex truckies so didn’t mind endless hours around the track on endurance stuff, but they alway enjoyed being out on the road......I swear it was the truckies breakfasts that did it......and the best breakfast was at Boreham when it was still a proper test track rather than being turned over later to the Rally mob and the Cops.

 

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by boxbrownie

[PhilJ W]

[Oldddudders]

Presumably the Minor 1000000, a LE in pale pink, is worth even more? Haven't seen one in many years. 

[Blackthorn]

This was at a big car show a few years ago. looks good, probably a real ba@tard to drive though.

Edited March 14, 2021 by Blackthorn
Bad speelinng

[Oldddudders]

1 hour ago, Blackthorn said:

This was at a big car show a few years ago. looks good, probably a real ba@tard to drive though.

Is that a 101 Forward Control with a crew cab? Not seen that configuration before. 

[MrWolf]

3 hours ago, Blackthorn said:

This was at a big car show a few years ago. looks good, probably a real ba@tard to drive though.

 

That would be even worse to work on than the single cab version. Engine access? Oh we forgot about that!

[PhilJ W]

3 hours ago, Blackthorn said:

This was at a big car show a few years ago. looks good, probably a real ba@tard to drive though.

 

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Is that a 101 Forward Control with a crew cab? Not seen that configuration before. 

Its the civilian 110 forward control model based on the series II 109 Land Rover. The dual cab would be an add on post production.  

[Fat Controller]

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Is that a 101 Forward Control with a crew cab? Not seen that configuration before. 

One of my parents' neighbours used to drive one; He was with SWALEC's 'Hot Wire' team. The vehicle was replaced by an early Unimog. Am I correct in thinking that this variety of FC wasn't employed by the military, despite the livery?

[MrWolf]

The RAF had a few, the MOD used the later 101 pattern, which was okay until you'd served in Germany and had a go in one of their Steyr Pinzgauer trucks. 

A lot of the early forward control Landovers ended up being fitted with a powered access platform for electricity, telephone and street lighting work. 

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, Fat Controller said:

One of my parents' neighbours used to drive one; He was with SWALEC's 'Hot Wire' team. The vehicle was replaced by an early Unimog. Am I correct in thinking that this variety of FC wasn't employed by the military, despite the livery?

A few were trialed but rejected. They had a tendency to lay on their sides due to a high cg and narrow track. A Mk. II version was made with a wider track but didn't entirely solve the problem. There was also the Land Rover Llama. Intended as a civilian version of the 101 with a tilt cab but only 10 prototypes and one production model were made.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rover_Llama

Edited March 14, 2021 by PhilJ W

[PhilJ W]

There's also this.

https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/4x4s/retrofit-cabs-revitalise-old-land-rover-discoverys

[PhilJ W]

And these.

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/richardgregory3/forward-control-land-rover/

[alastairq]

Pinzers in use by UK armed Forces until recently [and probably still are in use by RMs?]  

 

Also available as a 6 wheeled version

 

The 6 wheel Armoured Pinzgauer known as Vector.

I had the displeasure of using one some time back.   

Not ideal if over 6 foot tall, over 60 years of age, etc, when getting in & out. Found I bashed my head regardless of how careful I was.

Automatic gearbox, and every single vehicle seemed to have its master switch in an entirely different place?

Suspenders were very wallowy as well.

Once had the task of getting one onto a DROPS flatrack, securing it, then taking said vehicles down to Ashchurch from my East Yorkshire workplace.

 

Mine still had its whippet aerial in situ, and we lacked instruction [or reme fitters] to remove it. [It probably was a Saturday?]...

Thus the overall height to tip of aerial was..umm....tall enough to thwack every single motorway overbridge on the way down, leaving, according to my colleagues [co-workers, workmates, chums, etc] who were following in other, similarly laden DROPS vehicles,  a black line under every bridge.

Eventually it ceased to do any more thwacking, as the end had become worn down to  quite a taper.

Anyway, not my problem, arrived, got the boogahs offloaded [Ashchurch tried to keep our flatracks as well, we wouldn't have any of it] and an unladen rather dull 50 mph flat out drive back.

One lad had trouble as we had to back him out of a McDonalds drive thru...he took the wrong turning.... we were professionals, the cream of the creme, what d'you expect? Miracles?

Still, the overtime was nice....Saturday rates, enhanced, under Civil Service rules, plus food, etc expenses.....no wonder the  MoD was broke?

Normally they use civvy low loader contractors to move stuff around.....one or two companies make a living out of it...

But this was a bit of a rush job, so volunteers were called for, last minute notice.

We also took several RLC lads & lasses with us [they were phase 2 students, so were there to 'learn'....it was a trip out for them, made a change?}, one in each cab [cabs were only 2 seaters]....They reckoned they had a decent time of it, their next course being DROPS operator......so they got a bit of a 'head's up'...as to what to expect.  Bless 'em, they'll be NCOs by now, maybe WO2 's?   

[MrWolf]

Phase 2 Students? 

 

Is that a modern pc term for a J.A.F.O.?

[alastairq]

Nope, it's a designation for the stages of training a military person has undergone and passed.

Nowt PC about it, as it predates PC world by a good margin. Phase 1, basic training, phase 2 and 3, trade training....

I dealt with the 9 out of 10 soldiers who weren't infanteers....although sometimes we got the 1 out of 10 too...but not often.

Every soldier, and airman, and most navy personnel, had to have vehicle driving/operating skills. 

Military driver skills considered to be as essential as basic training, unlike once upon a time?

Also dealt with staff car drivers, Attaché driving courses, CP, specialist vehicles, etc.....depending on where  needed. Most of my time spent on Military Driver Training Sqdn....basically turning licence holders into military drivers.

A splendid job, I enjoyed it, found it fun often....Interesting keeping up with customer requirements. 

Didn't need to have a military background either. In fact, it helped not to have one!

[MrWolf]

I know what you mean , I was wondering if any of you were used to the acronym JAFO, meaning Just Another F*****g Observer. As in "Oh, I can't help you, I'm only here to observe"