For those interested in old cars.

[MrWolf]

There are a couple of Vauxhall PC series Crestas in the third and fourth row, that model was launched in October 1965, so I would say that the 1966 date is correct.

As for the age of the vehicles, the introduction of the MOT or Ten year test made thousands of cars over a decade old worthless overnight. A lot were scrapped for things like bald tyres because it was held that a new set would cost more than the car was worth. 

On the upside, a friend of mine got to buy a 1952 Vauxhall Velox for £5. He still has it.

[Rugd1022]

Kenny O, 5th April 1966....

 

[BernardTPM]

Interestingly the loco is newer than the car - Morris Oxford s.V March 1959 to October 61 - Western Diesel, only D1000 was out of works in December 1961.

Edited August 6, 2021 by BernardTPM

[Northmoor]

3 hours ago, Fat Controller said:

The days when the Aust Services were a tourist destination...

I remember the old services well; it used to be nice going outside to overlook the bridge and the river.  The current one is little more than a few portable buildings bolted together; ironic that it's called Severn View when you can't actually see the river.  I called in there about ten years ago and walked up to the old car park.  If you now took the same photo as the 1966 one, you'd see a dozen cars parked at the end next to the insurance company offices now using the old services building site.

[Rugd1022]

16 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

Interestingly the loco is newer than the car - Morris Oxford s.V March 1959 to October 61 - Western Diesel, only D1000 was out of works in December 1961.

 

Good point Bernard. The Thousand looks like one of the early lowish numbered Swindon built examples in fairly clean maroon livery, possibly recently applied and the only two which received fresh coats of maroon up in the period before the photo was taken were D1003 (previously green with small yellow panels) and D1015 (previously golden ochre with small yellow panels) both outshopped from Swindon in maroon in November '65.

[petethemole]

17 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Kenny O, 5th April 1966....

 

Four months later I started my first job after school as a temp. clerk in the Motorail bookling office there.

[Rugd1022]

2 hours ago, petethemole said:

Four months later I started my first job after school as a temp. clerk in the Motorail bookling office there.

 

Two years after that a film crew arrived at Olympia to shoot a scene in the buffet with James Fox waiting for a train in 'Performance' .

 

Another oldie at Olympia....

 

 

[MrWolf]

That looks suspiciously like a Renault Ten. A rare car in RHD form now. 

[Dunsignalling]

19 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

That looks suspiciously like a Renault Ten. A rare car in RHD form now. 

It is indeed. I used to have one, but mine was a year older than that pictured, with the 1108cc engine. Very comfy and economical (50 mpg on a run) with a decent turn of speed once wound up.

 

Cornering with any degree of enthusiasm required some weight in the boot at the front, though. I kept a few 2-gallon camping water containers for the purpose.

 

Currently just 15 taxed for UK use with a further 6 on SORN.

 

John

Edited August 6, 2021 by Dunsignalling

[MrWolf]

They were a competent little car, but by the mid seventies I suppose very dated compared to the Renault 5 and VW Polo.

There's still a lot of them earning their keep in far flung (and dry) corners of the old French empire.

[Dunsignalling]

4 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

They were a competent little car, but by the mid seventies I suppose very dated compared to the Renault 5 and VW Polo.

There's still a lot of them earning their keep in far flung (and dry) corners of the old French empire.

And the Fwd 12 that replaced it was a little stonker that would take anything you threw at it. I think a load were used as Paris taxis, which says all you need to know....

 

I had one of those too, until some pillock in a Mk2 Escort fell asleep and rammed it. It still drove and looked like a new wing would fix it but the front crossmember was twisted. The Escort, which must have been a real rotbox ended up sitting in the middle of the A30 about a yard away from its front bumper, one wing and both its Macpherson struts! 

 

John 

[alastairq]

13 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

And the Fwd 12 that replaced it was a little stonker that would take anything you threw at it. I think a load were used as Paris taxis, which says all you need to know....

  Aaaah! The Hair-do's!

Edited August 6, 2021 by alastairq

[peanuts]

Just a porche 911 parked up at a delivery 

[Rugd1022]

Quite a while ago I posted some photos of Guinness heir Tara Browne's psychedelic AC Cobra, I've just found some more, all taken in 1966....

 

 

 

 

 

 

Browne was business partners with Lotus dealer Len Street....

 

 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

 

 

[MrWolf]

There's an interesting mixture of vehicles amid that chaos, I wonder if any of them are still running?

[PhilJ W]

And all bar one are British.

[Rugd1022]

More from Len Street's Lotus dealership in Chelsea....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RANGERS]

4 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

 

Some stylish examples of the coachbuilders art on show there, the van bodies show some real flair, a far cry from the Aluminium angle and composite sheet of today’s boxes.

[MrWolf]

I mentioned in an earlier post a photo of an early SAAB rally car in the 1960 Castrol Achievements booklet. I've just found it. There's a distinct lack of sponsorship stickers all over it like modern rally cars. The sole sponsor being a company called Eumig, who made quality film projectors.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2021 by MrWolf

[boxbrownie]

15 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

And all bar one are British.

Surely you mean “only one Johnny Foreigner” car 

[boxbrownie]

5 hours ago, MrWolf said:

I mentioned in an earlier post a photo of an early SAAB rally car in the 1960 Castrol Achievements booklet. I've just found it. There's a distinct lack of sponsorship stickers all over it like modern rally cars. The sole sponsor being a company called Eumig, who made quality film projectors.

 

 

I used to meet with Erik Carlsson regularly at motor shows we covered, lovely human being and a towering stature but in later life he blamed his spinal curvature to all the SAAB humping over the bumps and lumps on those rallies, never stopped him smiling though, one of the greatest.

[Captain Cuttle]

Our first car was this 1935 Lanchester with its pre selector gearbox. Lovely smell of leather and quite comfortable i remember. A bit different from dads Bradford van.

This was 1955 at Cliftonville where we lived.

[peanuts]

Came across this lovely motor whilst on a delivery today 

[MrWolf]

Great to see a Lotus Cortina out and about.