For those interested in old cars.

[boxbrownie]

Gorgeous little car, pity about the 2000MY Mini stripes....

 

 

[boxbrownie]

24 minutes ago, Trainshed Terry said:

 

Great number plate if you live near the "West Somerset Railway".

 

Terry.

And your Loco weighs 140 tonnes 

[jcredfer]

5 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

And your Loco weighs 140 tonnes 

Not quite, but not as fast.....

 

 

[steve1]

This was in my local garage when I collected my Pug after its MOT pass.

 

steve

 

[alastairq]

Barchetta?

[PhilJ W]

Ford Escort.

[Enterprisingwestern]

16 hours ago, alastairq said:

Barchetta?

 

Yes please, mayonnaise on mine!

 

Mike.

[alastairq]

Usual response is 'bless you!!'

[New Haven Neil]

Seen in the village today, a really nice Princess VDP, badged 4.0R if that means anything - I don't know anything about these other than they had an RR built engiine?

 

[PhilJ W]

36 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Seen in the village today, a really nice Princess VDP, badged 4.0R if that means anything - I don't know anything about these other than they had an RR built engiine?

 

It was intended to be a 'smaller' Rolls Royce with the badge and grill, a combined effort with BMC/Austin. But Rolls Royce pulled out during the development stage but as compensation allowed Austin to use the R-R engine. 

[russ p]

13 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

It was intended to be a 'smaller' Rolls Royce with the badge and grill, a combined effort with BMC/Austin. But Rolls Royce pulled out during the development stage but as compensation allowed Austin to use the R-R engine. 

 

Wasn't the engine a quite unrefined military engine? 

[MrWolf]

10 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

Wasn't the engine a quite unrefined military engine? 

 

Rolls Royce FB60, as used in the Austin Champ jeep, but without the upgraded waterproof electrics. 

[PhilJ W]

15 minutes ago, russ p said:

 

Wasn't the engine a quite unrefined military engine? 

A B60 but built to tighter tolerances than most mass produced engines, even for the army.

2 minutes ago, MrWolf said:

 

Rolls Royce FB60, as used in the Austin Champ jeep, but without the upgraded waterproof electrics. 

It was a B40 used in the Austin Champ. Only four cylinders. The car engine was six cylinders. There was also the B80 with eight cylinders used in the Alvis AFV's. They all had a common bore and stroke and shared many components the only difference was the number of cylinders.

[MrWolf]

You're right, I had forgotten that it was a parts bin engine. One thing that I do remember from working on them is that they don't like standing and can be a pig to start and spares are ridiculous money.

If you want a big Farina type of car, a Westminster with a C series engine is actually a far better machine.

[alastairq]

Rolls-Royce designed [but often didn't 'make'] a number of types of engine, especially loved by the militaries. Indeed, up until very recently, one Rolls-Royce design [but made, IIRC, by Perkins]....was in regular use. [DROPS MM & IMM LC]

 

[when I worked, these were one type of vehicle I instructed on. Didn't bother with the newer MAN EPLS 15 tonners]

 

[Oldddudders]

I think the Austin Champ had a RR engine?

[Trainshed Terry]

They most certainley did. That reminds me of the day I saw a Pink and Blue Austin Champ.

 

Terry.

[jcredfer]

I have a stark recollection of an incident involving a WRAC driver, armed with an Austin Champ.  The occasion is also well remembered, as it was an interview for a place at their Welbeck College, however, the reason for being transported in said Austin Champ are rather vague.  The interview was at the Army selection centre in Westbury, which would normally have meant taking a train to Westbury Station, but for some un-recalled reason, was to another station, hence the Austin Champ.  The journey, across part of Wilts, became memorable at some point, when there was a string of traffic {yes, even back then!} behind a farm tractor, towing a rake.  Said WRAC lady, dropped a cog or two and simply took to the bundu, to the left and overtook the lot.  It was a tad rough going, involving various parts of the verge, but the Champ just went where pointed, brilliant.

 

 

[jcredfer]

Something about the Champ, that few know about, or maybe they did.

 

For it's day, it was an excellent performer and better ride in than almost anything else on offer.  Eventually the Landrover became the choice, because it was easier to service / cheaper[? not that was ever a major concern with the Min of Deaf], but more important was the design of the side walls / sills.  When in action, to leave the Landrover, soldiers simply flung the doors / rear flap and went!!  The Champ sill had to be stepped over with one foot at a time and was slower than was considered safe.

 

 

[alastairq]

Re-Champs? Whatever happened to Ironhorse  motors that used to sell Champs, in London?

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, jcredfer said:

Something about the Champ, that few know about, or maybe they did.

 

For it's day, it was an excellent performer and better ride in than almost anything else on offer.  Eventually the Landrover became the choice, because it was easier to service / cheaper[? not that was ever a major concern with the Min of Deaf], but more important was the design of the side walls / sills.  When in action, to leave the Landrover, soldiers simply flung the doors / rear flap and went!!  The Champ sill had to be stepped over with one foot at a time and was slower than was considered safe.

 

 

Its a pity that the Austin Gypsy was dropped when Rover became part of BMC. The early Gypsy's had all round independent suspension using the Moulton system of rubber blocks just like the Champ. Its one disadvantage was its having a steel body as against the Land Rovers aluminium one.

[steve1]

Didn't Champs have a rep for being easy to roll over? Thought I remembered reading that in the dim and distant.

 

steve

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, alastairq said:

Re-Champs? Whatever happened to Ironhorse  motors that used to sell Champs, in London?

I also thought they were quite heavy compared to a LR which didn’t help airlifting the things when needed.

[MrWolf]

47 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Its a pity that the Austin Gypsy was dropped when Rover became part of BMC. The early Gypsy's had all round independent suspension using the Moulton system of rubber blocks just like the Champ. Its one disadvantage was its having a steel body as against the Land Rovers aluminium one.

 

Apart from its ability to make a Lancia Beta look like it was made from aircraft grade stainless steel, the Gypsy was a pig to work on. Amongst other irritations,removing the drivers side wing assembly involved removing the steering column which passes through it.

It was very capable, but it wasn't Austin's finest hour.

[MrWolf]

5 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

I also thought they were quite heavy compared to a LR which didn’t help airlifting the things when needed.

 

It wasn't practical to make an "air portable" Champ as simply as Landover could, that's for sure. The Champ was a much more powerful vehicle and the gearbox with its all gears in reverse arrangements is something that LR should have adopted.