For those interested in old cars.

[doilum]

The type 49 shell was basically the reinforced export shell. All Aussie builds used this shell. Like the RS the rear axle was located with tramp bars. The standard engine was the 1600GT crossflow Kent found in the Capri and Cortina. As the AVO cars were a bespoke build they could be ordered with stage 1or 2 tuning from new. In standard form the 85 bhp was good for 99mph on the Motor magazine test.  Most bar room warriors would claim 110 or 12 or 15....

Edited July 28 by doilum

[Dunsignalling]

2 hours ago, doilum said:

The type 49 shell was basically the reinforced export shell. All Aussie builds used this shell. Like the RS the rear axle was located with tramp bars. The standard engine was the 1600GT crossflow Kent found in the Capri and Cortina. As the AVO cars were a bespoke build they could be ordered with stage 1or 2 tuning from new. In standard form the 85 bhp was good for 99mph on the Motor magazine test.  Most bar room warriors would claim 110 or 12 or 15....

 

Which is what the Ford speedo would show at 99.....

 

[GrumpyPenguin]

5 hours ago, alastairq said:

I may be wrong, I wasnt a fan of Escorts or Mexico's [the plastic dastops made me car sick, for some reason]..

But, wasn't the Mexico powered by the basic 1600 crossflow engine?

Also didn't it come as standard with the strengthened bodyshell similar to the rally cars?

I do know it was considered to be an ideal ''clubman's'' car....[for club level motorsport?]

 

The later RS 2000 probably rather stole the scene, motor sporting club-wise.....?

 

Still with a cheap to maintain/repair/tune standard Ford production motor [Pinto, or 2 litre OHC?}

 

[I used to do 12 car's with a Hillman Super Minx estate......rather like doing a GP race in a tank...Navigation was the key, not how fast one could go...or how long it took one to stop..even worse, prone to overshooting controls...]

 

 

The Mexico had a GT version of the 1600cc crossflow engine & a close ratio gearbox (IIRC Corsair 2000GT/E)

 

They had flared front arches and some bodywork strenthening. They were more reliable (albeit with a bit less puff) than the twin-cam or BDA.

Agreed an excellent clubmans car lending itself to easy modifications to suit the madness &/or pockets of their owners.

 

The 2000cc SOHC "Pino" made up for the lack of puff and was relatively reliable but it's extra weight at the front did nothing to help the handly of an already tail happy Ford (good fun though).

[doilum]

1 hour ago, GrumpyPenguin said:

The Mexico had a GT version of the 1600cc crossflow engine & a close ratio gearbox (IIRC Corsair 2000GT/E)

 

They had flared front arches and some bodywork strenthening. They were more reliable (albeit with a bit less puff) than the twin-cam or BDA.

Agreed an excellent clubmans car lending itself to easy modifications to suit the madness &/or pockets of their owners.

 

The 2000cc SOHC "Pino" made up for the lack of puff and was relatively reliable but it's extra weight at the front did nothing to help the handly of an already tail happy Ford (good fun though).

The extra weight of the pinto caused the RS 2000 to tend to understeer slightly. The RS was engineered by a race driver called Gerry Birrell who went for a softer rear suspension rate with harder shock absorbers. The RS was a very benign car which in five years of ownership never caught me out. When I bought it my wife has only just passed her driving test and really learned to drive properly in the RS. The Mexico was probably more fun especially if you got a laugh out of exiting a wet roundabout backwards when you were not even trying. To this day my younger brother  and I have to agree to  disagree about which was the better car. He has just pulled a perfectly good pinto out of his mk 1 to fit a well specced crossflow in his attempt to build a Mexico replica. Something to do with a forty year guilt over writing off his genuine Mexico as a young lad.

Back in the day, family members could not believe the outright performance of the RS and frequently found excuses to to borrow it. They still cherish the stories!

[jcredfer]

19 minutes ago, doilum said:

The extra weight of the pinto caused the RS 2000 to tend to understeer slightly. The RS was engineered by a race driver called Gerry Birrell who went for a softer rear suspension rate with harder shock absorbers. The RS was a very benign car which in five years of ownership never caught me out. When I bought it my wife has only just passed her driving test and really learned to drive properly in the RS. The Mexico was probably more fun especially if you got a laugh out of exiting a wet roundabout backwards when you were not even trying. To this day my younger brother  and I have to agree to  disagree about which was the better car. He has just pulled a perfectly good pinto out of his mk 1 to fit a well specced crossflow in his attempt to build a Mexico replica. Something to do with a forty year guilt over writing off his genuine Mexico as a young lad.

Back in the day, family members could not believe the outright performance of the RS and frequently found excuses to to borrow it. They still cherish the stories!

 

I totally agree with the "Benign" nature of the RS 2000, which was easily controlled with the throttle, {I confess to a couple of "moments" when that proved to be very useful.}  I had intended to buy the "full-on" stage 3 version as being a rally-going aspiration, but it was at the time of a posting to Berlin.  The reality of 3 years trying to keep a stage 3 motor running in the Berlin traffic didn't hold with much enthusiasm, so stage 2 it was.

 

It didn't disappoint, particularly at the many traffic lights throughout Berlin.  It still brings a smile, recalling the number of boy Porsche racers, who had pulled alongside at the lights, throttle blipping in anticipation of showing this mere Escort where it was at.  It was a delight to look in the mirror, to see them looking in their mirror, seeing it vacant of their intended victim, enhanced by the moments later, when they looked to the front, at the rear of the "mere" ford Escort, getting more distant by the moment.   

 

It did have a, sort of, speed limit, at around 125 Mph, when the side door windows would get pulled outwards into the airflow.  I didn't have sufficient enthusiasm to test what the Insurance company might think of the claim for the results of finding the more exact limits of that.  🤣

 

 

[MJI]

10 hours ago, jcredfer said:

 

I totally agree with the "Benign" nature of the RS 2000, which was easily controlled with the throttle, {I confess to a couple of "moments" when that proved to be very useful.}  I had intended to buy the "full-on" stage 3 version as being a rally-going aspiration, but it was at the time of a posting to Berlin.  The reality of 3 years trying to keep a stage 3 motor running in the Berlin traffic didn't hold with much enthusiasm, so stage 2 it was.

 

It didn't disappoint, particularly at the many traffic lights throughout Berlin.  It still brings a smile, recalling the number of boy Porsche racers, who had pulled alongside at the lights, throttle blipping in anticipation of showing this mere Escort where it was at.  It was a delight to look in the mirror, to see them looking in their mirror, seeing it vacant of their intended victim, enhanced by the moments later, when they looked to the front, at the rear of the "mere" ford Escort, getting more distant by the moment.   

 

It did have a, sort of, speed limit, at around 125 Mph, when the side door windows would get pulled outwards into the airflow.  I didn't have sufficient enthusiasm to test what the Insurance company might think of the claim for the results of finding the more exact limits of that.  🤣

 

 

 

I used to have a Sunbeam and the amount of slower sports cars and hat hatches trying it on was silly, TLGP destroying a warm hatch though was fun as his 1st gear rev limit was my hit power band in 1st.

[spamcan61]

Took my boring old babe magnet  Avensis for its MoT today, parked next to this beast.

[Rugd1022]

Shopping in Carnaby Street, 1967, in a Bentley...!

 

 

[Rugd1022]

A feast of Italians at Gaydon this morning...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Captain Cuttle]

On 13/07/2024 at 19:44, Rugd1022 said:

Ford GT40

As well as the GT40 the late Roy Lunn became the chief designer for Jowett Cars from 1949 to 53 on the R4 Jupiter it had a wheelbase of 7ft. This was  was not an all plastic bodied car, three were built and the first was all steel. The other two were part FRP [fabric reinforced plastic] i think the fabric was cotton based and they had a lot of issues getting the panels out of the moulds. They used the first car as the buck and could only get satisfactory results by leaving the panels for several days to cure. Getting the paint to dry  was another problem and only worked if using white or off white. Thats why both cars were that colour at the 1953 Motor Show. The show car was the second car built and the all steel one JKW 367 was giving joy rides to interested punters. The third car was in the local Jowett Albemarle Road showroom but the covers were never removed. That car was Dove grey with maroon upholstery. Roy was also involved with the CD Bradford but thats another story, look at my avatar thats what the Utility looked like. I think Roy went on to design the Jeep Cherokee.

[Dunsignalling]

Tesco Honiton car park, eight-thirty-ish yesterday morning, no camera, phone left at home on charge, and I saw a rather lovely MG 4-seat tourer of a kind I'd not encountered before.

 

Some Googling today suggests it was a YT Magnette, 877 produced 1948-50 and all bar three exported, which would certainly explain why I'd never come across one until now..... 

 

 

Edited August 3 by Dunsignalling

[steve1]

Always liked these.

 

steve 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Old car / Beatles content ahoy!

 

Beatle John in what looks like a Humber Hawk or Supersnipe, happy to be corrected of course - in the driver's seat is a chap called Terry Doran, the 'man from the motor trade' in 'She's Leaving Home', pic taken in the car park outside EMI Studios in Abbey Road, early 1967...

 

 

Beatle Paul at home in Cavendish Avenue, St.Johns Wood with his '66 Aston Martin DB6 in 1967...

 

 

Beatle Ringo arrives at EMI in the summer of '68 in his recently acquired Mercedes Benz 600, the BMC Farina estate behind it belonged to roadie / old chum Mal Evans while just about to come through the gate is Beatle Paul in his 1965 Radford Austin Mini Cooper S...

 

 

Beatle George's garage at his sprawling bungalow in Esher in 1966, his 1965 Austin Mini 850 and 1965 Aston Martin DB5 having consecutive reg' numbers, both were acquired on the same day through Brian Epstein's company 'Brydor', which he ran with the aforementioned Terry Doran...

 

[westernfan]

22 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

A feast of Italians at Gaydon this morning...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIAT 128's I can't remember the last time I saw one of those, even at car shows.  My Dad had one back in the 70's. It was a good little car, although I preferred the 124 which he "upgraded" to.

 

[Rugd1022]

Nice summing up of the Series 2 Jag XJ...

 

 

[Oldddudders]

Jags don't seem to look like this any more. Seen at the Torbay Steam fair yesterday.

 

[Rugd1022]

Location unknown, but what a nice image...

 

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Another snippet from Gaydon on Saturday - Mk1 Morris Mini Minor '621 AOK' is often described as being the first Mini produced but this is not strictly accurate, as at least two other Morris badged Minis were built before it. It's still a lovely piece of history of course but what you see in the museum today isn't 100% original - in the mid '60s the roof was painted black, a Webasto sunroof was fitted, a pair of mirrors and a radio aerial appeared on the front wings and it had aftermarket overider protectors fitted. At some point later on the entire roof section was replaced and new front wings were fitted, here it is at Longbridge c.1967...

 

 

 

And here it is two days ago without all the period extras...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[alastairq]

I note the Super Minx estate in amongst all the electric fuel pumpers...  :)  :)

 

On another note entirely..and probably in the wrong thread entirely, but I don't bother with 'modern ' stuff meself....has anybody noticed how that new Hyundai Inster electric car [cannot truly call them a ''motor car'' anmore, can we?] from the front has distinct hints of Volvo PV 544 about it?

 

 

[Sidecar Racer]

1 hour ago, alastairq said:

I note the Super Minx estate in amongst all the electric fuel pumpers...  :)  :)

 

 

 And a 105E tucked away in  the corner .

[Sidecar Racer]

8 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

 And a 105E tucked away in  the corner .

 

 And I've just noticed that it's a MK 2 countryman next to the Elf but the Cooper S is a MK 1 .

[Hroth]

Speaking of minis, saw a proper one on the M56 on Friday. So tiny amongst all the other motorway traffic!  I don't think I'd like to travel in modern traffic in one, even in a town, though parking might be a bit easier....

 

[Rugd1022]

14 hours ago, Hroth said:

Speaking of minis, saw a proper one on the M56 on Friday. So tiny amongst all the other motorway traffic!  I don't think I'd like to travel in modern traffic in one, even in a town, though parking might be a bit easier....

 

 

Having had Minis for the last thirty five years I'm so used to driving them that I don't feel vulnerable in traffic, although my other half does sometimes sitting in the passenger seat. Looking forward to getting my '68 Cooper back from Coventry Classic Minis on Friday, it's in for an MOT, new fuel pump and Hi-Lo adjustable suspension fitting.

 

 

[Oldddudders]

Original-shaped minis are still about. An E-prefix model came past us as we were walking to the pub the other night. Our 1960 example, a complete bitsa built by a neighbour, seemed great fun and served us well as a second car in the early 80s, having helped Deb pass her test. But they do indeed look 'mini' these days!

[Northmoor]

1 minute ago, Oldddudders said:

Original-shaped minis are still about. An E-prefix model came past us as we were walking to the pub the other night. Our 1960 example, a complete bitsa built by a neighbour, seemed great fun and served us well as a second car in the early 80s, having helped Deb pass her test. But they do indeed look 'mini' these days!

Unbelievable it may be but I have never driven one and only been driven in one a couple of times (by a school friend who like many 18y.os thought he was the next British Rally Champion).

 

I do wish I had bought a Mini City or Mayfair (or older) back in the late 80s when you could pick up drivable ones for a few hundred quid.  Now people want £2-3k for MOT failures.