Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: Martin (Admin) on January 18, 2010, 08:16:24 am
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Mine was my Dad's old Mk I Ford Transit.....
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Mine was a NSU prinz with an air cooled engine inthe back It was so loud you could not hear the radio when the engine was running.
(http://www.motorbase.com/pictures/contributions/990529-european/std_62_nsu_prinz_4.jpg)
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Having learnt to drive in my grandfather's 1934 Triumph 9, my own first car was a 1937 Ford Y, cost me £30, and £12 for insurance. Mind you, in those days you got 4 gallons of petrol and change from £1!!!!
Danny
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/1933-Ford-Y.jpg/800px-1933-Ford-Y.jpg)
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Does a BSA winged wheel qualify for this ?
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Ford 105E Z-back 998cc 2-door Anglia EVO 781C. Cost £75; bought it from Southwell and drove it to West Bridgford with no brakes. Kept it running on spares from DD Dismantling in Dunkirk and finally flogged it to my sister for £50. No photos but it was two-tone pale blue/white, with more than a bit of rust round the wheel arches and sills.
I loved that car, but I've never had another Ford. Strange, innit?
FLJ
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1955 Ford Consul Mk1, paid £25-00 for it with a burnt out clutch. It had the same turning circle as a Nuclear sub and could embarrass you if you pulled forward too far whilst turnng right at a junction as you would end up mounting the pavement on the other side of the road! It was so rusty that one day, whilst driving round a one way system in Bromley, the car lurched as I had run over something in the road. Not having seen any obstacle, I stopped and got out only to find I had run over one of the jacking points which had rusted and fallen off . Every trip was an adventure.....happy days.....hmmmm
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BMC Wolesley 1300 paid £50
Hydro elastic suspension, pale blue exterior, leather seats walnut dash 1275 engine, was great when I picked it up, started first time went hairing off down the road as it was taxed and 6 months MOT. About 10 miles intogetting home hit a pot hole and felt something under my seat give. the steering got heavy and the suspesion was like a see saw. Puilled overto side of dual carriageway. could not see anything obviouse at first. Policeman pulls up, I explain we both look nothing, I get in car and start engine, he stops me. I get out he gets in. Thats when I spot that the whole chassis had cracked on the drivers side below the drivers seat! Car recovered and stripped down and sold as parts, made over £600!! bout a vauxhall viva hc 1300 delux instead and done it up!!
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after passing my test in a 1959 morris minor split screen - I stepped from that into a 1961 Humber Super Snipe - affectionately known as the 'battle wagon'
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1941 Austin 10. Leather upholstery, sunshine roof, opening windscreen and a starting handle for emergencies. £ 10.00.
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a 1969 mk 1 escort, more holes than swiss cheese but it was fun
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My first car was a Triumph Spitfire...TCK8... Wedgewood blue
First bike was BSA C11G, then a Royal Enfield 350 then I found Triumphs and stuck with them ever since....Tiger 110, Bonneville, Trident(s), Hinkley trophy 900 and two Hinkley Tigers (one after the other)
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A 1953 Mercedes 170D, left-hand drive, sit-up-and-beg headlights. Beautiful car! Pete M
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A Wolsley 4/50 - cost me £90. The half shaft broke not long after I bought it. I think it cost more than that to fix it. I was living near Warrington and the local dealer couldn't get a replacement so my Dad got one from Leeds and brought it over!
Barrie
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A 1966 Morris Minor ( known as my Jelly Mould) cost £100 (not bad in 1975) :-))
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1954 Standard 8 to replace the Panther 100S combo after the firm taught me to drive a 4 wheeler.
The drivers seat was a self recliner, but was fixed by getting a fresh seat from a scrapyard and swapping upholstery. It also had trafficators that were cunningly mounted in the door pillars just below shoulder height, so that they could be snapped off when they failed to retract due to the terrible blast of air from the wind of its passage, and you got out. Colour was doom grey and rust.
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1951 FJ Holden purchased in '69 that was followed in '71 with a 1965 Renault R8 which was road car, rally and race car best car i ever owned in '98 i bought a 1970 R10 and turned it into a sport sedan race car.
pic of R10
(http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg264/GardnerDG/Renault%2010/fg41.jpg)
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1948 Ford Anglia could not find a pic so downloaded one form the net,
but this is what the old girl looked like, paid 25 Pound and it was worth every penny................
Roy
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Simca 1100, don't remember what it cost. Held the record around the school bus park with 8 passengers :o :o
(http://homepage.ntlworld.com/keith.adams/rootes/images/dev1100_01.jpg)
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A 1981 Ford Fiesta 1.1 in diamond white (with liberal rust :-)) ). Always ran perfectly for me but nearly always broke down when my brother borrowed it!!! {-)
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Mine was a pugeot 106 1.1 engine tiny little thing went well though got it for £2000 wiht very low milage but the insurance was £1600 cheapest ahh the joys of been a young driver not very exiting and not as nice as some of the above
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I took a few driving lessons in a Riley 1500 (rally tuned) driving instructors car %)
95 mph in third on the new Laceby by-pass (Netley will know) then I joined up %%
The army taught me to drive in a 3 ton Bedford (bruised elbow when gear changing - compulsory)
then they gave me a mini to shuttle preggy wives to the pre-natal classes.
I had to ask one of the passengers for her tights when the fan belt broke :o O0 got us back to base though!
Must have been too sexy for that job, so they trained me on a Stalwart HMLC.
When I got out, I bought Mum's mini and thrashed the daylights out of it. Never let me down.
Dad had a wierd range of cars, all of which I drove.
The best was an MG Sports saloon (not the Magnette) with built-in hydraulic jacks ... O0
Slab sided HA Viva which was all over the road in a 5mph crosswind %)
Midwife special Anglia with trafficators (bang the side pillar and it would eventually pop up after the junction) %)
also had vacuum wipers, slowed to nothing as you tried to pass a lorry chucking out spray %)
I also had
Renault R8, the back end didn't 'step' out - it leapt! = 360 deg turns %)
Austin A40, drivers floor rusted away but came in handy as the brakes were so bad, you could put your foot through and jam it on the wheel!
MG midget, batteries held in with rope as trays rusted away. Little slidey windows you could open to wave to other MG owners :-))
The list goes on - but didn't we drive some carp ok2 good job there wasn't much traffic in those days.
Happy days
Danny
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1976 Toyota Corolla Stationwagon, 1100cc 4 speed for $2000 that blew it's engine not long after I bought it, probably my fault and then dropped some teeth in the diff after the engine was rebuilt. Ended up costing more than the car for the repairs.
Used to get Hell at traffic lights because everyone thought I had nicked my mum's car for the night.
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ok2
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:-))
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Thats the trolley Wallace wants for his Sir Lancelot %% %% %%
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I hope there's bent nails holding the axles on that trolley - not those fancy pipe clips ;)
Danny
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TVR Grantura Mk IIA with MGA engine. £880 in kit form! No 25% purchase tax if you put it together yourself.
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My first car was an old R plate mustard coloured mini, I was gutted when I saw it in local scrap yard few years later all stripped! Dave <:(
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First powered wheels were a Honda 50 super sports complete with racing fairing cost £100 from Bill Hannah in great George St., Liverpool; better not say too much about that, but people from around here and of that period will know why. Would do all of 55 down the New Ferry by-pass with the wind behind and 40, if you were lucky, going the other way. Nearly came a cropper when going through the Mersey tunnel during the rush hour, with the impetuous of youth I switched to the third lane when the Tunnel police opened it, hit the raised centre marking at the wrong angle, wobbled all over the place but controlled it before I went under a wagon coming the other way, that still gives me the shivers even now to think about it. The was OK when it went but otherwise a load of rubbish; the old man once called it cruelty to small bikes when I was on it. It would take someone on the back but was extremely hairy when crossing Birkenhead docks especially in the wet. One large fellow only asked me once to give him a lift home, on another occasion Mike Storey, later leader of Liverpool City Council and prospective contender to be the Mayor of Liverpool was transport from Oulton Park back home one bank holiday in 1968 I think it was. I don’t suppose he would remember that now. (Or prefer not to anyway)
Next was a 1947 Beeza C11, an ex territorial machine with plunger back suspension, speedo in the tank and three speed box, Hell in the wet but what a difference when you opened the throttle compared to the Honda. But nevertheless, I learnt an awful lot with at machine. I stripped it down and rebuilt it giving me the confidence to be able to tackle much larger jobs on cars later one. I partly, to my Mothers absolute horror, did the rebuild in the living room over one winter. This resulted in a complete redecoration of the living room.
Throughout this time I was desperately saving to buy a new machine. I had set my heart on a Triumph Tiger 500, but the old man said there was no way I was going to have that, as the 350 was plenty big enough. I think I’m right in saying that at that time, 1967/8 the respective cost was £296 and £292. But the onset of rheumatic problems, bribery and common sense I suppose, won the day and I was steered towards a new camera instead which I still have BTW.
The old man, no doubt with the help a severe prodding from Mother, came up with a pretty neat solution to my transport problem though. His head of department at Liverpool University was wanting to dispose of his old car, so that is how I came to acquire my first set of four wheels. This was a 1959 Standard Vanguard MK111 Vignial (sp) estate, BKF 358. She had a broken back spring but we soon sorted that out, the back bearer holding the back of the gearbox up had gone at sometime and, in its place, was a scaffolding pole bent to the correct shape which, in turn, was held to each sill with a piece of hefty Dexion (sp). I took my first driving test (car) on Christmas Eve 1968. Apparently, I had the area inspector, it snowed, sleeted and rained the whole time and I forgot to put the lights on. I eventually passed in July 1969 which was quite fortuitous really, as the old man decided that we were all going off on our first continental tour in our respective vehicles, he had a Vanguard 6 automatic saloon, one of only six made I believe. Anyway, over the next three years my Vanguard, quite apart from the normal day to day running to work and going to rowing regattas, did two more trips abroad, to Spain in 1970 and Portugal and southern Spain the following year; how she survived those roads at that time I have no idea but she did with no real mishaps.
But time caught up with her and a new model was acquired. Since then I’ve had Triumph 2000’s still got my beloved TR6, a couple of Austins and now a Volvo. I still have the Old mans 1958 Moggie 1000 in the garage which is in need of a good home. The thought had crossed my mind to give it to my nephew for his first car, if he will restore it but, as he has no idea what a Moggie 1000 is I don’t think that’s a starter but, if he wants the TR, then will have to prove to me that he truly deserves it.
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The list goes on - but didn't we drive some carp ok2 good job there wasn't much traffic in those days.
Happy days
Danny
A fish driver eh ? %)
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Ariel Colt 200
Ariel Arrow Super Sport 250
Ducati 250 Monza SS
Triumph Thunderbird 650
1950's split screen Morris Minor 848cc side valve
1950's spit screen Beetle
1970's Beetle, 2 litre Porche lump, twin Minnow carbs, Beach Buggy wheels and tyres, lowered and chopped
1970 Brabham Viva HA
1950's Hillman Minx, Holbay Rapier engine/gearbox and back axle
1960 Morris Minor, full race MG Midget engine/gearbox/back axle
1955 Mk1 Ford Zephyr, blown, nitrous injected 3.1 Cologne Capri V6, full set headers, cherry bombs, Granada trans with line lock, Jag back axle, Vitesse front suspension, big n' little Mickey Thompsons on Wolfrace slot mags, built to full drag race specs
1960's Wolsley 16/60, full race spec MGB 1800 motor and g/box/back axle, lowered, MGB Rostyle wheels
1960's Ford Anglia van
1970's Ford Zodiac Mk3
Citroen BX1600RS
Bedford camper van 2.3 straight 6
1980's Ford Scorpio 2.9 injected V6, full set headers, cherry bombs, lowered all round, alloys
1970's Ford Granada 2.8 V6
1960's Porche 1600 engined VW based beach buggy
1970's Citroen Dyane, Rover 3.5 V8 engine/gearbox (abandoned when then wife had her first of seven strokes)
1970's Mini Traveller full rust set up
3 Citroen Picasso's
Ford Escort RS 1800 lookalike
Citroen Saxo VTR(present)
Didn't realise I had so many bikes and cars...
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Missed one...Triumph 2.5 PI
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M Reg Austin Allegro, paid £120 for it.
Came complete with square steering wheel & untill my ex wife wrote it off it used to go to Portsmouth - Norfolk every 2 weeks.
Cheapest car I ever bought was a Vauxhall Chevette Estate for £30, it ran for 2 years before I sold it on!
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Mk 1 Cortina est
Mk 1 Cortina G.T
Vauxhall 101 est
Lotus Cortina Mk2
Citroen Cx 2000 est
Citroen Cx 2500 est
Citroen Cx g.t.i turbo
Ford Capri 3000 g.t (Happy Days !)
Range Rover X 2
B.x 16v
Nissen 200sx
Astra 16v
Golf t.d.i est
307 h.d.i
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Morgan 3 wheeler with JAP engine bought from an old shipmate going to join a ship in Singapore on a 2 year commission in 58 for £35 (Best Bird puller I ever had) %) :} :-)) Freebooter
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Learned to drive in a Maxi 1750HL and a 1.6GL Astra back in 1986. First car I bought was a 1.2 Nova Merit which I kept for 6 months ( rubbish car to drive lol ).
Since then I've had a "few" lol
1987 : Vauxhall Nova 1.2 Merit Jan till August , Ford Sierra 1.6L August till October 1988
1988 : Vauxhall Astra 1.3L October till April 1991
1991 : Hyundai S-Coupe Lsi April only ( brand new , suspension collapsed after hitting a pot hole on a corner... rolled into a field ) ,
May Vauxhall Nova 1.0L Merit ( where to start... this one had a warped cylinder head and had 3 total rebuilds with new
short block before Vauxhall finally admitted it was unroadworthy and gave me my money back in January 1992 ) , June till
November Honda NS-125R just to learn on and pass my bike test ( did in November ) , November till June 1996 Yamaha XJ600
1992 : Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L March till February 1993
1993 : Ford Escort RS-Turbo March till October - got rid of it worst car I ever bought by a long way... , October Vauxhall Cavalier 1.8GL till
December - this went back to the dealer as it had been in a bad accident and they tried to claim it hadn't had any damage...
December till June 1995 Cavalier 1.6GSi
1995 : Vauxhall Cavalier 1.8L June till March 1998
1998 : Renault Megane 1.5 March till September 2000 , Kawasaki 750cc conversion hard tail chopper , Honda CB900 ( 1981 version )
Both bikes sold when my back gave out in 2000
2000 : Ford Mondeo 2.0 16v Auto September till November 2003 - had to sell this one 10mpg in town and 18mpg at 60...
2003 : Peugeot 206 1.9L Diesel November till now
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1st car? Vauxhall Viva HB SL. Bright red, rostyle wheels. Only a 1.2 but outperformed my dad's HC 1.3.
Paid £495 in 1977, when it was only a few years old. Put a new radiator in and then sold it for £600 a few months later when I got my first company car - a Cortina, what else!
Andy
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Austin A40 Somerset - cost £15 - death on wheels...
Morris Minor - no compression, needed pushing up hills
Mini Estate - Got us up to the Lake District but seats a spinal disaster area. Heavy rain would short out the distributor
Triumph Herald 12/50 - Nice car until I accidentally set fire to it while changing the fuel pump. Met all the neighbours in one afternoon!
Triumph Herald Estate - bad buy, bag of nails.
Vauxhall Viva HB - decent car with an interesting ribbon speedo.
Vauxhall Chevette hatchback - nippy little beast but off the road for three months after I screwed it into an Artic on a narrow country road while Vauxhall were on an extended strike so no spares available.
Vauxhall Chevette Estate (in Regatta Blue of course!) Superb vehicle which could swallow almost anything including model boats. I kept it for 11 years.
Two Peugeot 309s - excellent and reliable small family cars which took us all over France.
Two Vauxhall Cavaliers MK3, 1.8 and 2 litre - Comfortable large family cars which were great for touring and nice inside.
Nissan Primera - Not as good as the reviews made out and ate front tyres for breakfast. Whole side frame had to be replaced when French motorcyclist hit us in the Alps - he survived. thank God.
Ford Mondeo Zetec MK2 2 litre petrol - very nice car, a bit big but a great drive.
Ford Mondeo Ghia MK2 facelifted diesel 2 litre. Engine less flexible than the petrol version but does 50mpg average. But they did somehing to the seats which aren't as comfortable as in the earlier version.
Not sure what next.
Colin
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Mark 2 Jaguar in 1973 it was a 2.4 and insurance was around £27 a year on L plates !
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T'were a 1959 Standard Pennant with a sun visor on the outside! It was 3 year younger than me. Cost £32 when we bought it and I got £27.50 when I sold it almost a year later.
Would love to restore something like that now if I had the skill (or time!)
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Baby Austin A35 widowmaker. :o
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First car guys, MK 1 Ford Escort, follwed by a RS 2000 OLD W reg, remember first car?
Paul...
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First care guys, MK 1 Ford Escort, follwed by a RS 2000 OLD W reg, remember first car?
Paul...
Wouldnt a darlek just drive itself!? :}
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Very funny you *&*& <*< :}
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1974 Morris Marina 1.3 Coupe
It was a radical design for the bodywork. Shame about the BL build quality issues and mecanicals. The ITAL was a much better version of the car, but it came to late, the Marins had alreacy become stigmatised.
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I bought a brand new Marina TC - 1.8 with twin su carbs etc, in tasteful %) ( purple) aconite/tan vinyl roof.................... everthing except the body style 8) and gutsy engine was horrendous. BL made a' doggy' out off a 'moggy'. :((
I traded my beloved but flawed brg/tan hood MGB Roadster KVK 21L for this **************** <:( <:( <:(
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First car was a family hand me down, originally my grandfathers, then my uncles, then mine. It was a 1956 Austin A30 with an 803cc engine. Blew the thing up coming home from Silverstone, big ends gave up and the crankshaft broke and pushed a big hole in the block leaving the road covered in lumps of steaming hot metal. Sold it to a local farmer for £1.
Gone through a few more vehicles since then.
Alan
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Hoping that two wheels are still admissable.When I was about 15/16 (I'll let you work out the year) a friend of my dads gave me a petrol motor thingy to put on my bike.He had bought a Cyclemaster wheel.Remember them? I always wanted one but could never afford it.
Anyway,I fitted the said machine to my bike and I managed to get quite some mileage before it shredded my rear tyre.There was a sort of drive shaft which made contact with the said tyre to propel me along.After about five tyres in three weeks Dad put a stop to it The thought of a liscence and insurance never crossed my mind.Ah! those days of inocent youth.
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my first car was a VW Karmann Ghia, a bit like a flat VW Beetle, but there was room for 4 people in there although a little bit of a squeeze.
i bought one second hand for 200 pounds, then i passed my driving test, and about 2 years later i sold it for 500 Pounds, by this time it was 12 years Old.
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Brian, I believe the motor thingy you fitted to your bike may have been a little unit called 'Powapack' If it's the same one I'm thinking of, it went on the back wheel and hung upside down over the tyre. It looked just like an overgrown model aero engine.
The 'Cyclemaster' was a compact little unit with a clutch and chain drive to the sprocket of the rear wheel hub in which it was housed. It was a variation of the BSA 'Winged wheel', a beautiful example shown on here by' Netleyned'. I always considered the Winged wheel to be a betterdesigned little unit but never had the engine apart on one.
The cyclemaster was a 35 cc Schnuerle ported two stroke with rotary disc induction and could really rev its little nuts off. I think its only limiting factor was the tiny carb inlet.
Sorry if I digress, but I loved the pic of Netleyeds BSA and it sent me brain spinning back to my youth..... I can smell em now as I write!
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mine waas a red 750 Special. One of Colin Chapmans first. It used a 1930s Austin 750cc engine, modified with a lightened flywheel, double valve springs and a cambridge alloy head.
The exhaust was straight through, with chicken wire inside to prevent the cops poking a stick up it and saying I hadn't got a proper silencer.
Over 80, the headlamps had a tendancy to fall off!! and if you put the clutch in too quickly the halfshafts snapped!!! Great fun!!
This was back in 1956
Ken
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A Green Ford popular for £110,6volt electrics, you could see squat in the dark with the headlights on full beam!.
Len.
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And you could see bu**er all in the rain with your foot on the throttle Martin!!
A mate of mine had one, the steering column was so stiff we used to put it on full lock, tweak the idle screw up , get out and sit in the park whilst the car drove itself in circles around us..... great fun.... then we grew up <:(
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My first,real car was a Ford Anglia,which i bought for £10 way back in 69,then i got a Morris Minor 1000 for £28,but before these two,I went halfies with a mate and we bought a Messerschmitt 3 wheeler that had a Sachs 350 cc engine,it cost an arm and a leg, in 66,...£30,i wish i had it now,..then over the next 30 odd years i hade various cars 8 of which were Ovlovs, {-)and in between i had my motorcycles,my favourite being my GSX1100s Katana,whic i had bored out to 1170 using a Cosworth big bore kit,with..a billet clutch from Straightline Racing in the Wirral,..it produced a 128 bhp at 8000revs and was good for 145mph,..it was great in a straight line,but it was a pain in the corners,which was down to its high centre of gravity,19in x,4.00,front wheel 18 x 4.10 back,,but thats the way they were in the early 80,s,
Wullie
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Although not a 'first car' as the thread goes, my second car was a 6 cyl 59 PA Cresta. I loved the thing, it was the model with the three back windows, twin clocks on the dash and the big oval rear lights. Lovely shade of bluey grey with a cream roof, stainless steel hubcaps and trim and a set of whitewalls to finish it off. It was beautifully trimmed with pleated red leather seats and red carpets. I loved the American styling. I couldn't afford to buy one now, they are like gold dust if in one piece and anything standing on its wheels is usually a restored car as they could rust quicker than a bean can in a vat of acid.
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ok
disregarding the plethora of old BSA Bantams, C15s, Francis Barnetts,tiger cubs and anything with two wheels i could lay my hands on pre driving license
my first "legal" road vehicle was STD 871 G my red Puch Maxi moped {-) yes truely the laughing stock of all my fizzie and ss50 riding mates!!! i was the age to cop for the daft moped and 250cc bike laws at 16 and 17yr old.. the ridicule did not last forever and i was soon the proud owner of my first "brand new" machine.. KEK 769 P a loverly green Honda CB250 G5
my first road legal car..
1016 TJ the t-Rusty Ford Anglia 1200 Super Deluxe in a very fetching Maroon and grey (and Rust) bought for a whole £15 :} and yes! the gaffar tape still held the n/s headlight in place in the rain! when my feet went through the floor it was quickly replaced with DUX 865 C my dark blue Singer Chamois!...... thats a Hillman Imp with extra chrome bits to help it rust..... :}
oh yes... i remember registration numbers (but cant remember the kids birthdays)
db
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Oh I wish I had some of the cars that have mentioned now. We have got rid of fortunes between us. Sad isn't it?
Good old classics that make really good money now.
Alan
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Oh I wish I had some of the cars that have mentioned now. We have got rid of fortunes between us. Sad isn't it?
Good old classics that make really good money now.
Alan
especially the guy that had the JAP engined Morgan 3 wheeler........ bought for buttons! they are worth a fortune!
db
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And that Karmen Ghia,and the plethora of C11G,s Puch,s old Trumpets,etc etc,
and more recently the scrappage scheme has seen an end to countless rare old classics,..a garage in Dundee got a Jensen Interceptor traded in on the scrappage,and a Jowet,..and there was one guy who tried to trade in a pre Audi car,an Auto Union from 1937 and the only reason he could,nt was because it did,nt have an MOT,
Wullie
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What a heart breaking story Wullie... bloody car scrappage scheme!! Those who 'trade in' classics should be shot at dawn.
I don't see many of todays cars being kept on the road like these old machines, the electronics will become defunkt and in the future there will be a collectors market for working electronics to fit them, they will become like gold dust.
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You,re right there,about today,s cars,..an old car can be brought back to life,but the one,s of today are all run by PC like components,i.e.ECU,s memory chips for fuel, spark,advance retard,everything is governed through the ECU,when that goes bang,..its usually dealer only,..then arms and legs,
as to these old classics being traded in on the scrappage scheme,i bet it would make our eyes water if we knew,the makes and how many were traded in,..and more importanly,how many never saw the scrap yard, {:-{
Wullie
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You probably wouldn't believe me if I listed some of the cars I've had. But it's the ones I declined to buy that cause real pain. A Jaguar D Type for £895 (in1962)? A GT40 for £2750 (in 1970)? But they were just obsolete racers at the time, and you had to be even dafter than me to buy them, especially as the cops were starting to get funny about the lack of silencers, handbrakes, and other useless weight penalties.
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I can believe it,because in the early 70,s up until around 77/78 it was still possible to get your hands on,cars that are now termed as classdics, or that little bit unique, or sporty,
In 1974 I bought an MGC Roadster,that had a straight six engine with twin Strombergs,and wire wheels,for £300,then i picked up a TR4 for £240,and in 76 i bought a VW Micro Bus ,the 13 window model,i paid £175 for it,but it was rotten with rust and needed £300 spent on it to get it through an MOT,so i got rid of it,..One sold on ebay last year for over £14,000,....then in 1977 i treated myself to a Brand new Triumph Bonneville T140 750cc for the humongous price of £799,by 79 the price had jumped to over £1300,
hindsight is a great thing,..if only,
Wullie
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Thanks dbninja,the old grey matter ain't what it used to be.I lost the plot when you got to Schnuerle ported rotory disc induction,all greek to me.
Sheerline,you forgot the best one of all.A JAMES CAPTAIN.197cc.two stroke which I bought on my 18th.birthday brand new for £197 and covered some mileage until I turned 20 and bought a FORD POPULAR,my first car.
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A,... The James Captain, with the Villiers engine if my memory serves me well,...this engine was also used in the early 3 wheeled Bond,...pre Bond Bug days,..the engine was mounted over the front wheel,and to start it you had to lift the long bonnet,stick your foot in,and kickstart it,..and a unique factor of this car was that it could about turn in its own length,as the front wheel could be turned to almost 90deg to the body,making a U turn quite scary,
Wullie
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The good old Villiers 2T (and 4T)was used in loads of bikes at that time.
My mate had a Greeves with one and I used to race him round the streets of Grimsby on my Ariel Leader (that was a bike ahead of its time)
My two "hindsights" were
I saw an Ariel square four in the paper for £18 (1966?) and went to see it. It was immaculate. I offered £12 which was all I had, he said £15 but I walked away <:(
Later in 1975 I had a Daimler 250V8 (same shape as the Mk2 Jag). Had a pub in a city with no parking, so I put it through the auction - £66 <:(
Hey Wullie, was your Messerschmitt the one where you started the engine backwards for reverse O0 O0 My cousin had one - 60mph possible in reverse! I had a go and frightened the life out of myself at 20mph backwards %) {-) {-)
Danny
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Just think of all the classic cars that ended up as stock cars..MG Magnettes, Wolsey 15/50s, 16/60s, 6/90s, Rileys...the big Rovers and Jag Mk 10s, Mk1 Granadas..
Frightening thought.
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First car I really lusted over, but couldn't buy, was a Ford Granada MKI Coupe. Orange with a tan Vinyl roof.
A big beast for a two door.
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I once saw one of those, TT, that had had all the front panels of a MkII Granada grafted on. In Silloth of all places. Looked really good.
Speaking of MGCs, Wullie, I had one, believe it or not, a convertible with auto. The factory, apparently, doesn't admit to making any, but it certainly wasn't a lash-up.
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Wullie, that Bond minicar you mentioned, my mate bought one and the previous owner had been all round Britain in the thing with his family. My mate bought it from him, it was a strange machine and we rode it around for a bit. In the depths of a bitter snow filled winters night, just outside Lesmahago on the A74, we struck a frozen packed snow drift at the side of the road. The stupid back wheels which stuck out each side caught a jagged chunck of frozen snow which caused the vehicle to be spun sideways into the path of oncoming vehicles. A pothole in the road caught the offside wheel and catapulted the car into a roll . It was the convertible model and came down on its roof.
The last thing I remember was seeing my mate holding onto the wheel with the road going sideways past his face.. then silence! I came round sitting in the middle of the road, my mate was still in the drivers seat, the car having righted itself and swearing profusely that his glasses were missing. Glass and debris everywhere, we cleared the road, threw it all back into the car, bump started it and drove it back home through Motherwell with no top or windscreen, the steering wheel resembled that of an airfraft control wheel as it had a massive depression in it since it had protruded above the bonnet line and had contacted the road. When we got home, we had ice around the collar of our coats, it must have been -10 deg that night.
We had completely escaped injury, my mate only complaining that he had a scratch on his finger.
I tell you, some of the things we did as youngsters.... it's a wonder I'm here to write this
The car was subsequently sold to a mad motorcyclist round the corner, he was always in plaster as he kept falling of his bikes. He rebuilt the car and used it for a short time then it disappeared. He appeared again one day, covered in plaster and when we asked him
where the car was, he said he had innadvertantly driven it over a cliff in a quarry!!!
R.I.P. Bond minicar
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A...Granada,s i lusted over a 2.0 twin cam,...when petrol was a damn sight cheaper,then one day whilst passing a local garage,in 2000, i spotted one on the Bargain basement lot,..It was a,1987 Ghia,Auto, model,5 door hatch,top of the range,electric everything,leather interior,electric seats front and rear, trip comp,wood dash and door checks,alloys,it was 13 years old and minted with only 38,000 miles guaranteed,the price on the window was £999,Whilst i was drooling the salesman came over,asked if i was interested,I,d actually made my mind up before he appeared, and after a brief discussion,about it,he told me it had only one owner from new,and that it ran like a swiss watch,i asked how long the MOT had to run, and he said it only had 2 months left,..and 1 months tax,on hearing this i hesitated,a bit,..He said if I took it as is, he,d give it to me for £600,On hearing this,I said I,d take it,..now you might think this odd,but up to This point i had,nt heard it running,..I was so over awed by the luxurious interior,and its over all condition,..suffice to say i went ahead and bought it,paid for it there and then,I was given the documents and a folder full of receipts for work done over the years,
He gave me the keys and i got in and started her for the first time,She started off the key without hesitation,..and did indeed run like a Swiss watch,I was over the moon,and drove out of the lot,I drove approx 10 miles,then heard a Beep,Beep continuous sound, and stopped immediately wondering what was wrong,a red light was flashing on the dash,my initial reaction was Panic,..until i saw that it was the on board computer telling me i needed fuel and that i had enough left for approx 10 miles,Phew,panic over,I drove to the nearest petrol station,and put 5 gal in,whilst there i thought i,d better check the oil and water levels,On opening the bonnet, and looking at the engine,..I nearly had a heart attack,..this was not a 2.0,twin cam,..it was a monster V6 2.9,..that would,nt pass a petrol Station,in town without going beep,beep,..my initial shock turned to a grin,as i realised what a powerful motor i had,and,although it drank petrol whilst driving around town,it was surprisingly quite good on the motorway,where 350 miles was achievable on a full tank,...£55,..but in town it would,nt do more than 200 miles,A month later I took it to my local MOT station,for an MOT,whilst i was waiting for it to be done,I heard the mechanic say to his mate,"here come and have a look at this"his mate went over and they were looking at something underneath,my curiosity got the better of me and i went over,and asked if there was anything wrong,The mechanic said,No,far from it,..its like a new car under here,and he pointed out the newish stainless exhaust,the new brake pipes,new discs etc,etc,..It passed the MOT test,and off i went,as happy as the proverbial pig in....when i got home i looked at the name on the logbook and was able to get the persons number from directory enquires,I phone the previous owner,explained that i,had bought their car,and asked him about it,.It turned out that the car had only ever been used at weekends, and sat in their centrally heated garage,whenever it was,nt in use,and that no expense had been spared over the 13 years that they had it,I asked about the mileage and was told that it had 37,800m on it when they traded it in,I thanked the guy,and sat back grinning like a cheshire cat,..I kept the car for nearly 3 years,until petrol prices started to rise, then i got rid of it,..i swapped it for a 1.7 Volvo 480 es,
big mistake,.....but thats another story,
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I once saw one of those, TT, that had had all the front panels of a MkII Granada grafted on. In Silloth of all places. Looked really good.
Speaking of MGCs, Wullie, I had one, believe it or not, a convertible with auto. The factory, apparently, doesn't admit to making any, but it certainly wasn't a lash-up.
Mines was,nt a lash up either,and it too was a convertable,they were initially meant for the European market,i.e.Left hooker,so its quite possible that they were left hookers that had been converted back,mine was bright orange and thethere was a bulge in the bonnet just above the Strombergs,
Wullie
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The good old Villiers 2T (and 4T)was used in loads of bikes at that time.
My mate had a Greeves with one and I used to race him round the streets of Grimsby on my Ariel Leader (that was a bike ahead of its time)
My two "hindsights" were
I saw an Ariel square four in the paper for £18 (1966?) and went to see it. It was immaculate. I offered £12 which was all I had, he said £15 but I walked away <:(
Later in 1975 I had a Daimler 250V8 (same shape as the Mk2 Jag). Had a pub in a city with no parking, so I put it through the auction - £66 <:(
Hey Wullie, was your Messerschmitt the one where you started the engine backwards for reverse O0 O0 My cousin had one - 60mph possible in reverse! I had a go and frightened the life out of myself at 20mph backwards %) {-) {-)
Danny
The Me,that we had,did,nt have the reverse gear,it had been removed,so that it could be driven on a motorcycle licence,it had handlebarsl like what an old bicycle had,and the gear shift was on the side,,and it was very stable with having the two wheels at the front,and it was light enough to lift up if we ever got stuck in the middle,of two cars
Wullie
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Talking about old Motorcycles,..4 years ago i went to the Ukraine to visit my Aunt and Uncle,to cut a long story short,....in their shed they had an old motorcycle and sidecar,my initial thought was,it must be a Ural or a Dneipr,or possibly a Cossack, how wrong i was,It turned out to be an old German army Zundapp 350cc,still with its original WH number plate,and a faded Balkan Kreuze on the sidecar,...and the mount where an MG 42 would have been,... <:( <:(
Wullie
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Speaking of wasting a good thing, a few years back, around 20 I guess, I got into Demolition Derby at the local speedway North of Wellington.
First car I picked up was a 1959 Humber 80, in pretty good condition for $20, actually drove it home and then tore it apart to make it safe for the race. It lasted 2 laps due to popping a throttle linkage apart. Found out recently that these things are worth gold downunder.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e17/CCrowd/Boat/2836256396_f1f3357652.jpg)
Next to get the demolition touch from me was a 1963 Vauxhall Victor FB, bought for $40 and I drove that one home too. That one was much tougher mechanically and lasted quite a few laps, until the umpires decided the big heavy car was not allowed to win and crushed me into the wall. New Zealand stockcars, being 900hp, 2 1/2 tonne bumper cars, don't take much in the way of an excuse when they are pulverising great classic steel.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e17/CCrowd/Boat/Vauxhall_Victor_10.jpg)
I have pictures of the Victor as a wreck being offloaded at the landfill somewhere.
I have seen millions of dollars in classics destroyed at Demo Derbies, from mint condition Hillman Imps through to a couple of classic Rollers and Mercs.
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Oh I wish I had some of the cars that have mentioned now. We have got rid of fortunes between us. Sad isn't it?
Good old classics that make really good money now.
If we didn't thrash 'em and trash 'em they wouldn't be as expensive now - it's because they didn't last the prices escalate...
I've had discussions with some friends that are avid local classis car club members - extolling the virtues of their old cars, how they're full of character and charm. They WON't drive them any distance though, only display them in the summer when it's dry at local fetes, etc. - WHY? too un-reliable, thirsty, noisy and uncomfortable compared to their modern counterparts.
I love reminiscing about the 'old' things - but really wouldn't like to own or run one now, modern cars are just so much better.
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If we didn't thrash 'em and trash 'em they wouldn't be as expensive now - it's because they didn't last the prices escalate...
I've had discussions with some friends that are avid local classis car club members - extolling the virtues of their old cars, how they're full of character and charm. They WON't drive them any distance though, only display them in the summer when it's dry at local fetes, etc. - WHY? too un-reliable, thirsty, noisy and uncomfortable compared to their modern counterparts.
I love reminiscing about the 'old' things - but really wouldn't like to own or run one now, modern cars are just so much better.
I totally agree,well almost,...until something goes bang,like an ECU whilst travelling at 130mph on the Autobahn,in Germany,..everything goes,at once,No brakes No power steering No Nothing,Not funny,...whats that Smell...Oh....anyone have tissues <:( {-)
Wullie
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Even Royalty had to start somewhere!
Ned
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Had one of those too. Fully restored it and rode it on the road for six months back in 1987. Swapped it for my current Triumph T100.
Wullie, is the Zundapp still in the Ukraine, when can I go and get it %%????
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Don,t think I have,nt thought about it,..but it was bad enough getting myself out,without having to think about an old German Zundapp,6 hours it took to get through the border with Poland,it would have been double that,had we not given a border guard 100euro,s in order for our car to get to within 50 metres of the gate,at one point we were in a line of traffic 300 metres from the gate,and some people had been waiting 3 days,once through the gate,it took us a further 3hours to cover 200 metres to the Polish side, {:-{
Wullie
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Hmmm, I've got some Russian contacts and friends out there.... hmmmm.
Damnit Wasyl, you've got my brain pondering the possibilities and I'm trying to do some machining here.
What a find!
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My first was Mum & Dads old Mk1 1500 Cortina estate. But the first I bought for myself was a brand new, £630.00 on the road Moskvich estate. It was absolutely carp, but a load of fun, I carried a Rolls Royce Merlin aero engine in the back and it hardly deflected the springs..It came with a 23 piece tool kit, that was needed, including a lovely all brass pump that I still have. I gave it to a friend when I joined the RN in 73 and it had almost rotted away by then. But I did have some good times in it, and in the back of it, so it does have a firm place in my heart. ;D ;D..Smudge
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Dodge comma wrap round van , and i blew the engine up and had to buy a vauxhall viva for a replacement engine . Absolutly brilliant as it was the one i drove after passing my test , 6 months or so later whilst taking my sister in law to the hospital for the birth of her first , she nearly had it in the back of the van . We were driving up arras hill to Beverly when the side door came open and as it was a rear hinge door it slammed into the side of the van with a bang , the rest of us nearly had kitten's {-) {-) {-).
daz
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I once saw one of those, TT, that had had all the front panels of a MkII Granada grafted on. In Silloth of all places. Looked really good.
Speaking of MGCs, Wullie, I had one, believe it or not, a convertible with auto. The factory, apparently, doesn't admit to making any, but it certainly wasn't a lash-up.
I went to the LeMans classic 2 years ago and was speaking to a guy that had an MGB GT automatic, he said it was one of only about 10 made as prototypes for the American market, very thirsty as it never gets out of second when running about town, it only had a 3 speed box.
Alan
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This was my first transport!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Boys_with_hoops_on_Chesnut_Street.jpg
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Great, but which one is you?