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Unusual cars, bikes, lorries.....sightings and associated memories.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 15 May 13 at 16:57
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Strangely pleasing sight today. An absolutely immaculate, and I mean evidently perfect, spotless, early 1960s Morris Minor parked up at the forest car park where we were today on one of our mountain biking trips. Only odd thing about it was the wide alloy wheels ! Might have been mistaken but they looked a heck of a lot like period 70s Wolfrace jobs.
It was a sort of dark denim blue non-metallic. I can't remember seeing one that colour before so I'm guessing it has had a blowover. Very neatly done anyway. It also sported a peak thing over the top of the windscreen which I do sort of remember some of them having.
There was also a towbar fitted to which was attached a ball mounted bike rack with two state of the art mountain bikes aboard.
Possibly though, more pleasing still, was that the driver and passenger were a couple of "too cool for school" type young dudes who, if seen without the car might have been automatically assumed to be suped up Saxo sorts.
Fair cheered me up. Dunno why.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 31 Mar 13 at 18:18
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Did you hear it running Humph? There are lots of tweaked ones. Used to be one round here with a Rover V8 in it, although that did stick up a bit so the bonnet had a hole in it.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 31 Mar 13 at 18:18
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No, didn't hear the engine sadly. Could have been anything.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sun 31 Mar 13 at 18:18
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Here's a blue Morris Minor with six Wolfrace wheels.
Plenty of shoe room. ;-)
farm5.staticflickr.com/4111/4950495615_c792292050_z.jpg
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Wouldn't swear to it but that looks very similar to the one we saw today ( without the trailer )
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Yes, I only use the trailer during the week!
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No. Just teasing.
I have to make do with a Ford estate, a mountain bike and a Westfield. :-)
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Westie pics sometime please !
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Nice motor and trailer, all it needs are some matching mudflaps on the trailer, the trailer is fine without a matching exhaust pipe though. :-)
Lets hope the owner reads this forum!
Last edited by: Old Navy on Sun 31 Mar 13 at 19:13
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Saw a Wartburg estate outside the shops today. En elderly couple got in it and it fired straight away without any smoke. It did sound very good, in a 2 stroke triple motorbike sort of way.
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I think that must be hen's teeth type rare these days Dave. The invaluable "How many Left" site says that in the 3rd quarter of last year there were 12 licensed and 8 on SORN
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Probably even rarer here in Sweden due to the smaller initial market, and the ravages of long salty winters.
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Now I know you're going to think this is made up but I promise it's true.
I've just seen my wife cleaning out the inside of her car. Should I send for the doctor do you think or shall I try to calm her first?
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is she using the super duper steam cleaner...you know the one i mean.. the bloke with the irritating american/ cockeney/ yorkshire accsent?
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No, a dustpan and brush. I'm frightened she's destroying something which if cultured in a controlled way could save lives.
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is she not doing yours as well? park up next to her with the doors to the GLEC open.
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Too great a risk of cross-contamination.
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Perhaps the Memsahib is coming over all broody Humph.
:+)
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Probably sweeping out the bits of shattered wing mirror
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oof Mikeyb a straight below the belly blow, and Humps wallet still reeling...;)
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oof Mikeyb a straight below the belly blow, and Humps wallet sporran still reeling...;)
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Primark Sporran?
Thats it i'm off to bed before he beats us up, got to be up at 3...am that is Lud..;)
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More or less drew a blank on interesting sightings in Ireland - just a couple of 2CVs. Then, last Saturday heading into Cork (we gave up on the UK leg of the trip thanks to the continuing winter) a Wolseley Hornet (Mini type). Haven't seen one in many years.
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I spotted this at a car boot sale today. It's a tandem Velosolex moped with an engine at each end. Same speed forwards or backwards, the guy said!
www.flickr.com/photos/64660965@N03/8627229079/
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How cool is that!
Was it for sale? What's the value of one of those things?
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No, it wasn't for sale although the guy had a couple of other single-engined ones on offer. It's France's best-known 'classic' moto and they go for hundreds these days if in good nick. I've thought about buying one for the bread run...
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Went for a walk today in the Surrey countryside. When we arrived at the carpark to start the walk there were at least a dozen Vauxhall VX220s there. That probably doubles the number I've seen in my life.
I didn't fancy the styling much when they came but they have grown on me a little.
Interestingly about half of them had been de-badged of their Vauxhall origins!
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The 59th E Type built has been found in a barn in the West Country, having been stored there since 1983 and bought as a restoration project. 65K miles and a 3.8 engine. Estimated to make £30k at auction as is and could be worth £120K after restoration.
Last edited by: Meldrew on Thu 18 Apr 13 at 07:58
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I knew of a barn in Devon years ago that contained an E-type even older than that one. I wonder if it's still in there?
I also wonder whether I am the last user of the English language who is very thoroughly fed up with the word 'iconic'.
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Thu 18 Apr 13 at 09:33
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I agree with you Mike, tends to be annoying and used out of context. However I do think the E type meets one broad definition
"An iconic design is usually a design that is ‘ground breaking’ and one that sets new standards in its field. It is a design that other designers and manufacturers follow, as it becomes a bench mark for other similar products. Furthermore, an iconic design is one that stands up to the test of time, remaining a good design, despite the passing of years, decades and even centuries."
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More a sound and a flash really, all i'll say is that it was a new fairly locally made convertible that came past me on the A45 near Rugby at i estimate 140+, 60 limit there by the way you naughty boy...;)
The V8 exhaust sounded fantastic but all over far too soon.
Haven't seen anything except a plod marked or unmarked covering the round so quickly for donkeys years, i enjoyed it.
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Wolseley Hornet MK3 - BEAUTIFUL 1.0 2dr Restored Car, Great History 1968
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201302025171087/
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>> Wolseley Hornet MK3 - BEAUTIFUL 1.0 2dr Restored Car, Great History 1968
>>
>> www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201302025171087/
You're smoking stuff again, Beautiful is not a label I would attach to it.
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I'm with you there guvnor, thems not my words though ... cough, cough - blimey this is good stuff!
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Whether you like the Hornet or not it's a lovely restoration job. Lot of original stuff including what look like static seat belts.
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That's right Brompt, I didn't really look at it properly as I was looking for 'something completely different'.
A full concours restoration I would have thought.
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Blimey apart from the colour, that's identical to my first car. Mine was pale green with a dark green roof. Same year. At the time, it was in perfect nick.
Should've kept it by the look of that price. Nine grand ! Sold mine for £230...
:-(
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>> cough, cough - blimey this is good stuff!
Amateurs.
Those minis with rumps, Riley and Wolseley, looked utterly unspeakable although the properly sorted Rileys went very well. Who in their right mind would get one of those when they could have an unadorned Mini?
I know the wooden dashboard and so on looked classy. But that sort of classy works much better on much bigger cars. As any fule kno.
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I wanted a Mini AC. My dad talked me into the Hornet...
All my friends had motorbikes. It was character building. However, I soon discovered that despite it's aesthetic drawbacks it was a far more popular mode of transport for my mate's girlfriends than the back of their motorbikes and thus began my early sojourns into parasitism.
I've since made a career of it so maybe it was but fate dealing an early card.
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No excuses needed Humph. A newish economical smart little motor at 18 or 20 sounds pretty enviable to me. My dad knew better at that time than to carry on indulging me. I was quite annoyed at the time but later saw that he had been right.
I had to scrabble with old cheap foreign jalopies several years later, and I didn't have a full driving licence for my first two cars... it was a nightmare, albeit an instructive one.
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>> Those minis with rumps, Riley and Wolseley, looked utterly unspeakable although the properly sorted Rileys
>> went very well. Who in their right mind would get one of those when they
>> could have an unadorned Mini?
My Mother had a loan of her sister in law's Hornet for a short time and regarded it as over nippy compared to her usual 850 Mini. Am I right in recalling the Riley version had twin carbs?
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The Riley Elf looked better than the W/Hornet IMO, still looked odd at the rear end though:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Riley.elf.arp.750pix.jpg
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>> >> Wolseley Hornet MK3 - BEAUTIFUL 1.0 2dr Restored Car, Great History 1968
>> >>
>> >Another common motor with a rump.......I've only ever seen one...surprisingly, that was in the UK.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_7
I rather like it.
Ted
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>>en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renault_7
I rather like it.
Looks better than an ornet or an elf because the jamjar is longer and the rear end is rounded orf, like mine.
:}
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Yesterday on the A33, a fag-packet black and gold Capri followed by an Elan +2, both of them looked immaculate.
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Always wanted a Capri back then. Used to get to drive my boss's 3.0S in brown metallic with gold wheels.
Shekshy no?
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Thu 25 Apr 13 at 21:45
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I followed a Trabant out of Calne in Wiltshire yesterday. Nice Commie-beige job, concourse condition, with DDR styled UK number plates and a big old DDR boot badge. Brand new-looking exhaust puffing its two stroke fumes in to the English country morn. Made me quite nostalgic. I'd quite fancy one myself.
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Just remembered another oddity I saw out in the wild West yesterday. A local private hire car - Mk1 Skoda Octavia with a 58 reg plate. Huh?
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Neighbour of mine had a 'Mk 1' Skoda Octavia - that must have been about 1960.
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Happily, I'm not old enough to remember the model of car you're implying existed. I had no idea there was an Octavia in existence before the 1990s. I shall look them up now out of curiosity.
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The convertible version was a Felicia.
I'm so 'mature' I think I've seen it all before...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Škoda_Octavia_(1959–1971)
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Fri 26 Apr 13 at 13:24
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The MK1 Octavias were sold to taxi companies well after they were officially sold to private buyers. They are very basic as far as I can remember, and don't have things like electric windows.
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>> Just remembered another oddity I saw out in the wild West yesterday. A local private
>> hire car - Mk1 Skoda Octavia with a 58 reg plate. Huh?
>>
Back in 2010, I spent 3 weeks at our Glasgow office on a secondment. Round the corner was a taxi dealership which looked like they were still selling them on 10 plates, there were a few brand new ones in the yard.
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Overtaken by a D type Jaguar this afternoon at Northampton on the A45, luckily had me window down so got the full exhaust blast, lovely.
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Over last week, have passed a Orion 1.6i Ghia several times - seems to be in daily use.
Forget how boxy they looked!!
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Interesting to be reminded of the 1960s Octavia. This and the convertible Felicia was a conventional front-engined RWD car, and I think were good value for money. One of my tutors at Cambridge in the late 60s had a Combi version - he said it never let him down.
The Skoda jokes originated I think with the rear-engined 1000MB and Estelle which followed that Octavia and wouldn't go round corners.
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>> The Skoda jokes originated I think with the rear-engined 1000MB and Estelle which followed that Octavia and wouldn't go round corners.
Sorry Avant but that's wrong. Those fifties Octavias were nice well-made cars like everything Czech, but they had a swing axle back end and were notoriously frightening if you went round a bumpy corner a bit quickly. I had five Estelles and they went round corners very well, even the swing axle one provided you didn't chicken out in mid-bend.
Skoda jokes were another matter, silly ignorant loadsamoney stuff from reactionary comedians and smug English Ford drivers.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 27 Apr 13 at 18:08
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Rose tinted glasses I think AC.
My daughter had a late Estelle and if any thing could go wrong with, it did.
A good design on paper, let down by materials and processes.
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You had to keep on top of them mechanically. I had to do a lot of butchering and swapping. Starter and alternator were weak. You needed a power grease gun to grease the front king pins. They held their tune very well but you had to do the plugs, points, ignition timing and a carb tweak every 6,000 or so, like an early sixties car. But they were great cars, and almost free thanks to Jasper Carrott and his braying audience.
Not everyone's cup of tea perhaps.
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I worked on the critters over a 14 year period and the the engineering was on a par with the Dacia Denim / Moskvitch / Polski Fiat / Wartburg etc.
Make of that what you will :(
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>> Make of that what you will :(
None of those has a bad name for reliability except perhaps the Polski Fiat. Anyway Perro you don't mention the early Lada 1200 which was a genuine dog in the engine design department.
Those communist cars were old-fashioned and ugly, but they weren't total rubbish.
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I completely forgot the Lada, Sire, must be my age, either that or all the Lead, Copper, Manganese and Ar$enic (As) in my private water supply.
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I don't think the Wartburg Knight was ugly - and I had one. Unreliable - well I could tell you a few stories but I still remember it fondly, especially the freewheel transmission.
My pal, a university professor, had a whole string of Communist Bloc motors over the years, starting with a Moskvich, then a succession of rear-engined Skodas and never, to my memory, had any significant problems with them. A few years ago he called here with a heavily-laden Felicia on the way home after leaving his boat in Greece. He said he found the 'modern' ones a bit characterless.
I claim to be the first muttering rotter to road test the Skoda Favorit - must have been early 1989 I think - and write the headline 'the joke is over'.
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My dad had two Ladas and some reason his first experience did not put him off. His first one was a 1984 1200 bought in 1990. In his year of ownership from memory it needed a new clutch, a new radiator, thermostat, and the drivers window kept falling in. It was a dreadfully awful car.
He then bought another one, this time a 1987 example in 1991. It was just four years old when he bought it, but it already had rust on it. He paid £800 for it. You cannot imagine an 09 plate car with rust on it!. He owned this for six years and by the time he got rid of it had 67,000 on the clock. (It was around 25k when he bought it). It was reliable in first few years but it clutch etc went again. By the time it had 67k, it only ran on three cylinders, 3rd gear didn't work at all, the engine belched out lots of blue smoke and the entire car was just dreadful. I remember my grandad having to come round a lot too to help the damn thing start. The car also seemed to eat starter motors or anything else electric. I remember as a kid constantly having to change the fuses on the damn thing.
It wasn't until he bought the Punto in 1998 he realised just how bad the Ladas were.
My grandad also had a couple of Ladas, but they were more reliable than my dads. I don't have much experience with pre VW Skodas, but from what I read they were better made than Ladas. I think in the built quality list it was something like this in terms of cars sold in the UK
1) Skoda
2) Yogo
3) Lada
4) FSO
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Really couldn't think of a more suitable thread to put this in so apologies for the tenuous link...
We're going camping in France later in the year with some other family members who've been to that camp site before. Now, apparently, the site insists on men / boys wearing traditional swimwear as opposed to surf style.
So, after a bit of googling I found these, I thought the lime green ?
:-)
budgysmuggler.com.au/
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Stupidly I clicked the link and now realise the Adsearch boxes will be full of stuff that will take some explaining to the family.
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Serious question, why do some French swimming pools insist on this type of costume? I've heard tell of such rules, but not been presented with it myself.
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Sand apparently. They don't like swim shorts which can trap sand if you've been on the beach beforehand. In fairness who indeed does welcome sand in their shorts ?...
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>> Sand apparently. They don't like swim shorts which can trap sand if you've been on
>> the beach beforehand. In fairness who indeed does welcome sand in their shorts ?...
Not just a seaside thing, seen it on sites in the Alps or the Massif. Maybe river sand/grit is equally harmful.
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>> We're going camping in France later in the year with some other family members who've
>> been to that camp site before. Now, apparently, the site insists on men / boys
>> wearing traditional swimwear as opposed to surf style.
>>
Not site specific Humph. Near universal in France 'for hygiene' to bar surf style. IME you can get away with the standard swim shorts, the issue is Bermudas.
EDIT to respond to A. The issue as explained to us was that the rule ensured people swam in swimwear and not the shorts they'd been out and about in.
Not saying I agree just that such seems to be the Gallic rationale.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 15:59
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"She" has in fact just returned from the shops with a pair of trad Speedos. Just tried them on. Apparently, I need to "put a bit more work in on the bike" in the next few weeks ! I thought they looked ok...
:-)
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>> "She" has in fact just returned from the shops with a pair of trad Speedos.
>> Just tried them on. Apparently, I need to "put a bit more work in on
>> the bike" in the next few weeks ! I thought they looked ok...
Need something to pack them out? I knew that bike damage was bad.... damp sock maybe?
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 21:24
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You can't blame the French or anyone else for banning Bermuda shorts on simple aesthetic grounds.
The British and American trouser has really gone downhill in recent years.
'In yer face mofo! I look like sh** and I DON'T CARE!'
It's a mystery to me, although my own strides are nothing to write home about.
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It's been a while since I saw one of these in any condition, let alone an unregistered 32 mile minter.
tinyurl.com/c3ycngc
I wonder what the reserve price is....
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I always thought the Avenger an ugly car with a silly aggressive name. Engine sounded tappety from early in its life too.
They were raced though, and the racing ones had some of the loudest exhausts on the track.
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>>I always thought the Avenger an ugly car with a silly aggressive name. Engine sounded tappety from early in its life too.
They were raced though, and the racing ones had some of the loudest exhausts on the track.
The Tiger could march on Sire: www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C363077#
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But Doug, whist it was impressive in its day a determined Fiat 500 could have it these days.
And its 20 GRAND!
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>>And its 20 GRAND!
And that dashboard! - did we really drive cars like that in the 70's :(
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I had a Chrysler 2000 (which was a Chrysler 180 with the 2L engine). At anything more than about 50 ft it looked like an Avenger unless it was parked next to one.
Used to annoy me quite a lot.
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>> I had a Chrysler 2000 (which was a Chrysler 180 with the 2L engine).
Did it have 20 more rust?
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The wheel fell off on the outskirts of Langley. On the day that the most stunning girl I'd ever met agreed to go out with me if I'd pick her up in Langley.
She wasn't sympathetic or forgiving, as it turned out.
But I don;t recall it having any rust problems actually, it was just a dog to drive.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Mon 29 Apr 13 at 22:46
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>> I had a Chrysler 2000 (which was a Chrysler 180 with the 2L engine).
That would have been a Chrysler 2 litre.
Never called Chrysler 2000.
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Mm, that rings a bell. Still looked like an Avenger at a distance though.
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>> The Tiger could march on
I think the saloon racing ones could go a bit faster than that Perro. I don't really know though. I saw and heard them but didn't follow their fortunes closely. They were very loud.
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>> It's been a while since I saw one of these in any condition, let alone
>> an unregistered 32 mile minter.
>>
>> tinyurl.com/c3ycngc
>>
>> I wonder what the reserve price is....
>>
If it has never been driven, how did it acquire the 32 miles?
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Its at 6100 quid at the mo. I reckon its about 6k overpriced.
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>> I reckon its about 6k overpriced.
Assuming its got a full tank of fuel, I'd agree.
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Forgot about this, driving up the M1 Sat morn was overtaken by a pristine Rover 100/Metro near Leics, looked to be in showroom condition to me and getting a good move on too.
Good number of real rear engined Porsche's of all years came past, must have been a gathering somewhere, always fancied one of those in particular, the rest of the sports car exotic market does nothing for me at all, wouldn't give you a thankyou for an Italian jobbie.
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There's one here gord if you fancy it: www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C373796
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Arrgh D, i don't want one of those, but if you found me an equally well cared for 911 for that money i'll be round like a shot.
Just remembered my barmy mate had several Metros with the 1.4 PSA Diesel lump of the day and he swore by them, he had an AX and 106 with the same engine too.
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The AX I drove to Tenerife and back had that engine, a blinder IMO (for a small diesel)
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I did a road test more than 20 years ago on a new 106 with a normally-aspirated diesel lump. It was the most sluggish car I ever drove.
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Probably the 1.5 lump in the 106, the PSA 1.4 diesel engine was a different animal.
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Unusual sight for me one morning this week was seeing a Mini Moke driving across Barnes common. It was a sunny morning and the driver rightly had the canvas tent removed. Lovely sight!
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Out on a folding bike club ride today round MK with a few older vehicles seen.
John's Motors at Fosters Booth have a Reliant Scimitar on the forecourt - £4,500 screen price.
Fifties Green Line Bus seen both ways on A5 while driving to ride
Lovely K reg Rover 3500 in Newport Pagnell. Slightly darker blue than my B. Daily runner?
Steam roller out on manoeuvres near Cranfield. Local judging by its livery
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A red Frogeye Sprite being driven with some enthusiasm this PM on the A500. PPPPPersisting down with rain though and the car had no roof. You forget how small they were. Nice though, very nice.
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A gritter / snowplough on the M6 northbound this evening around about J14. It's the middle of May !
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Unusual Sightings - Volume 19 - Renault 9 - Runfer D'Hills
