My first car was a 1995N Fiesta MK3.5, it had fuel injection, one airbag, a heater and a radio cassette. Young drivers today would feel very alienated by the lack of electric windows or power steering but I am sure there are people here old enough to remember their first car didn't even have a synchronised gearbox!.
My first car also had a rattling chain (hence rattle) and worn piston rings which meant is consumed more oil than fuel (hence smoke).
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My first car was an Uno 55S - 'A' reg, so 1984. Definitely no fuel injection, power steering or airbags, but the 'S' stood for Super which meant I had such luxuries as green tinted windows, remote control (but manual) mirrors, hubcaps (but only for the centre of the wheels) and a five speed gearbox. It also had a tilt and slide sunroof, which was definitely factory fitted but I don't recall if it was a standard or optional feature!
Interestingly our Up!, which is probably a similar size to an Uno, and in real terms undoubtedly costs less (based on new prices) came with the usual airbags, ESP, power steering, central locking and electric windows/mirrors, but also has (as standard) heated seats, sat-nav, bluetooth, alloy wheels and A/C. It also has a smaller engine, is heavier and has more power but is significantly more economical. What a difference 30(ish) years make!!
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A 1973 Mini 1000, RPJ 753L, bought in 1982. Dark purple* shade known as 'Black Tulip'.
Single carburretor and about 35BHP. Prone to soaking it's distributor and/or suffering carb icing. Either would leave you standing at junctions.
Static belts in front, none in rear, basic heater (but probably charged as an extra to list at orig purchase), mock leather seat covers in finest vinyl. Speedo, fuel gauge and, being a 1000, temp and oil pressure dials as well. After market radio-cassette playing via speakers on parcel shelf.
Sealed beam tungsten filament headlamps, no reversing lights or fogs. Manual screenwash via a push/spring pump in middle of dash. Drum brakes all round, unpowered, cannot remember if tyres were radial or cross ply.
Light steering though even with original lorry size driving wheel replaced by a sports job and handled like a go-kart. Constant musty smell to interior due rust in floor and leaking seams.
*Trainer at work recently got us to describe our first car as part of the intro/ice breaker bit on a course. Three of us from eight had first cars that were purple or similar.
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 12:37
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Same as Bromp, mine was a 68 model with sliding windows and a string interior door handle, no gauges (except for fuel), no radio, or heater, (it was an Australian one). Aircon? you must be joking, or was that what the opening rear windows were for? :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 12:45
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That's pretty much the description of the spec of my 1971 Mk1 Escort 1100 DeLuxe (purchased July 1987), Brompters. Except I had to source and install my own aftermarket stereo (£20 Saisho crap from Dixons), which involved gluing a housing for it to the transmission tunnel carpet, which wobbled about like nobody's business. The quality of the stereo and the speakers was so poor, especially from my cheap copied cassettes, it wasn't really worth using anyway.
It did have a synchromesh gearbox, though.
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>> That's pretty much the description of the spec of my 1971 Mk1 Escort 1100 DeLuxe
>> (purchased July 1987), Brompters. Except I had to source and install my own aftermarket stereo
>> (£20 Saisho crap from Dixons), which involved gluing a housing for it to the transmission
>> tunnel carpet
Think mine was a Saisho too. Pretty well impossible to tune on VHF (long pre RDS of course) but most stations were simulcast on MW - no Long Wave for R4 though. Whoever fitted it managed to secure it to underside of dash shelf between drivers door and steering column. Used self tapping screws IIRC.
Removed it when I sold car and tansferred it to my PUG 104. That had decent speakers in the doors and the combo actually produced reasonable sound from cassettes.
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Only three wheels, 750cc engine no radio, and a heater that relied on the speed of the airflow as there was no fan. Good points were the access panels in the cockpit that allowed you to remove the distributor, carburetor and three of the plugs while sitting in the driving seat - though inadvisable whilst in motion obviously, although several other components were in the habit of removing themselves whilst in motion. I'll never forget the day the exhaust fell off, made the thing sound like a 5 litre V8.
All in all a more sophisticated and reliable car than the Morris Marina that replaced it. Mind you, my shoes were a more sophisticated car than the Morris Marina.
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On thinking about it my first car makes a Dacia sound like luxury. :-)
Drat, I was thinking of a RAV4 2.2 Diesel auto next time, it had better not turn into a Duster. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 12:54
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Makes my first car sound quite boring, but I did often have to bodge electric connectors and push starting it was a weekly habit. Oddly it would only ever conk out on my street. If the engine was going to work it would go past my street and carry on working for the rest of the day. It seems to be cold starting it didn't like.
Amazingly I did it get it through the MOT with the engine in this state, I reckoned it must have produced about 35bhp it was so so so so slow. The sad thing is although it was 12 years old and needed a new engine, the bodywork was mostly sound.
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1929 Riley 9 Monaco.
Fabric body, opening windscreen, no heater - of course, rod operated brakes and no syncromesh - but it did have four forward gears. Magneto ignition and a dynamo driven directly off the end of the crankshaft so above 30mph you had to switch off the charging circuit or the wiring started to smoke.
It did have an electric starter.. . Thermosyphon cooling system - no water pump. Cupronickel radiator which needed frequent polishing. Wire wheels.
No semaphores, no indicators, just a window to wind down - sorry pull down as there was no wiper handle - apart from that it was fun to drive in the rain as it did have an electric motor to drive the windscreen wipers. (I think - it was nearly 50 years ago).
The petrol tank was mounted in the engine bay (above the driver's feet) and fed the engine by gravity feed.
The shock absorbers on the cart spring suspension were friction type.
I must say I fell no nostalgia for it although as a student I had great fun in it...
Maintenance? no oil filter, changes every 1,000 miles and lots of nipples..
Last edited by: madf on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 13:04
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Mine was a Marina. There was one good feature though that history has lost. The wash/wiper control was on a stalk and you could give the screen a good squirt, then start the wipers and give the appropriate number of wipes.
The first car I encountered where the wash/wipe was a single switch with multiple wipes I think was a Vauxhall and like many of these would give exactly one more wipe than was needed; presumably to ensure the sale of wiper blades.
Now of course, my pride and joy has no roof, no windscreen or wipers, a manually operated oil pump, manual advance/retard and it laughs in the face of your eurobox with seven gears as it has only two. It does though have electric start, but to ensure the longevity of the ring gear, one needs to engage it by hand. This was even recommended in a book on the car published in the mid 30s.
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Come on AC, shall we really put them all in their place? ;-)
I shall just say 'cable brakes' for now...
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>> shall we really put them all in their place? ;-)
I shall just say 'cable brakes' for now...
Alas, I don't think I can. Both my first cars were sophisticated jalopies, but in rough condition and with austere trim: a 1936ish Fiat and a 1948 Citroen Light 15. Riley 9 and Aero Morgan trump those all right...
Mechanical front brakes - driven a lot of old taxis with those - were always horrible, as indeed were front drums in anything but brand new condition... one Austin 7 didn't seem to have any brakes at all worth mentioning. But I was once driven in a chain-drive Frazer-Nash with tiny little cable operated front brakes that seemed remarkably effective when given a good shove, initially anyway.
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>> Mechanical front brakes - driven a lot of old taxis with those - were always horrible, as indeed were front drums in anything but brand new condition.
When I first started driving disc brakes were a new thing for aircraft and competition cars. All the jalopies one drove had drums, with all that that implies.
It occurs to me that many here have probably never driven a car with front drums. They don't know what they were missing.
:o}
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My first car was a 20-years old 1936 Wolseley 14, which I bought in 1956 from a bomb-site dealer for £25. It had a beam axle at the front, and there was so much free play in the steering that when I got it up to about 45mph it used to develop a severe wheel wobble that would only subside if I then slowed down to practically a standstill. One of the pistons had a hole in the top and the "dealer" had stuffed cloth around the oil filler cap and into the crankcase breather tube to reduce the amount of smoke emitted. I don't think the car had a heater. As for refinements, the front windscreen was hinged at the top so that it could be opened at the bottom to give some ventilation, and there were integral hydraulic jacks at all four corners, but they didn't work.
I was young and naïve. In those days car ownership was very limited and there was nobody I could turn to for advice before I bought the car. I only kept the car for a few weeks before I sold it to a scrap merchant for £15.
It looked something like this .............. tinyurl.com/nu7gdp6
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1932/3 Ford Tudor saloon.
i115.photobucket.com/albums/n297/penfro/scan0007-1.jpg
Yep that's me in it, too!
Last edited by: Roger on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 13:43
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1979 Fiat 127 CL.
No five speed gearbox, no electric windows, no power steering, no rev counter and only 47bhp of carburettor fun to play with.
I think it had a temp gauge (which my current car does not).
Fortunately 700 kgs and 7,500rpm (before red line) made for some fun driving.
The car was in great condition when I brought it, cant be said for 12 months later when I scrapped it due to my 'just passed the test indestructible' behaviour.
Last edited by: diddy1234 on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 14:14
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>> 1979 Fiat 127 CL.
Peasant. ;-)
My second car was a 127 Sport, dontchaknow (also a 1979). 75hp. I had it for three weeks before it was written off in a crash. Sob.
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How quick was it ?
I always wanted a 127 sport as they also look good ... if you squint. lol
by 1994 (when I passed) there were not many around due to tin worm.
didn't the 127 sport have a 1300cc engine with 5 speed gear box ?
not a bad combination to have especially for 1979
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>> How quick was it ?
Well it shot in front of the Granada that killed it quickly enough.
>> didn't the 127 sport have a 1300cc engine with 5 speed gear box ?
>> not a bad combination to have especially for 1979
>>
That was the 127 GT, which came in the later body shape:
www.myabarth.co.uk/tag/fiat-127/
Mine was 4 speed, 1075 (I think) cc.
Oh, gawd. You've made me go and want to find one again. An orange 127 Sport. mine was black. Here's an orange one (scroll half way down):
www.maranellohouse.com/myoldcars.html
Weep.
EDIT: Must. Not. Buy.
www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C397282#
Last edited by: Alanović on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 14:36
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I have seen the orange one before.
looks nice
you won't want to look here :-
www.designboom.com/design/a-tribute-to-pio-manzu-fiat127concept/
If only Fiat made them today :-)
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>> you won't want to look here :-
>>
>> www.designboom.com/design/a-tribute-to-pio-manzu-fiat127concept/
OMactualG. I'm trembling a little bit looking at that. I would absolutely HAVE to have one. Boy's 500 indeed. Utterly fabulous.
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Wow that does look great, it is a pity it will never go into production.
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>> My second car was a 127 Sport, dontchaknow (also a 1979). 75hp. I had it
>> for three weeks before it was written off in a crash. Sob.
My second was the Peugeot 104, a ZS 'shortcut' model - early warm hatch. Only 1124cc but a twin choke Weber meant it gave 66bhp so it was pretty rapid. A lovely motorway or open A/B road car but an erratic running pig in town. It also lunched head gaskets at 18month intervals - probably due a malfunctioninig cooling fan earth.
Kept it from early 83 until 86, including courting with Mrs B. By then we were living together and she was about to start a teaching job in London for which she though carrying marking etc meant she'd drive in. We traded the Pug for another Mini. In fact Mrs B drove it into town twice and decided actually train was much better even if hauling books gave her a curvature of the spine.
Last saw the 104 in Fetter lane c1992, still going strong after we'd dumped the useless and rusting Mini for our first BX. Reckoned at time we'd have been £1200 quid better off (a big chunk of our earthly worth then) if we'd kept the 104.
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Interestingly enough, my first car was a Ford Fiesta Mk 3 1.1 Popular Plus. It wasn't particularly basic. I don't know whether it an airbag or not. I can't remember whether it had a radio-cassette, or just a radio. It certainly didn't have electric windows. I don't think it had a sunroof. I'm pretty sure it had a four-speed gearbox.
The really basic thing about it, in my recollection, was that it has a choke.
Did it have power steering? I really don't know. Nor do I know if it had fuel injection. Perhaps some of you can enlighten me.
Anyway, here's the pics. One just outside Moscow, and one just outside Sângeorgiu de Pădure, best known as the home town of one of Her Majesty's great great grandmothers.
tinyurl.com/qh8pt96
tinyurl.com/nf7o9km
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>> Interestingly enough, my first car was a Ford Fiesta Mk 3 1.1 Popular Plus. It
>> wasn't particularly basic. I don't know whether it an airbag or not. I can't remember
>> whether it had a radio-cassette, or just a radio. It certainly didn't have electric windows.
>> I don't think it had a sunroof. I'm pretty sure it had a four-speed gearbox.
>>
>> The really basic thing about it, in my recollection, was that it has a choke.
>>
>>
>> Did it have power steering? I really don't know. Nor do I know if it
>> had fuel injection. Perhaps some of you can enlighten me.
>>
>>
I had one of those.No power steering, no fuel injection, no airbags, no cassette and the Pop Plus had a four speed box, it always felt under geared in top. The better appointed versions were five speed.
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1982 Visa Special. 2 cylinders, 35 BHP, no distributor or cooling system to worry about. No brake servo or powersteering. Twin choke carb - if you got the seond choke open it just drank more fuel and made more noise - didn't actually seem to go any faster! 4 speed box, but the clutch was pretty knackered - I suspect it had a big groove worn in the pressure plate so it was almost impossible to hold it on the clutch, and it juddered like mad if you caught it wrong. Rubber mats throughout. Just about had windy windows. It had a heater of sorts - not the most effective though! Oh, and it was turd brown :-) Happy days!
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I think that was the five speed version, my mate had a G plate with a 4 speed box but a 1.0 litre engine, that engine was soon dropped. I don't ever remember the 1.1 been mated with the 4 speed box, but I might be wrong, reverse was next 1st gear I seem to remember. My mates had a very very loose gear box which meant he kept going into reverse instead of 1st.
So I wired in a little firestarter, I connected a buzzer to the reverse light, so everytime it was in reverse the car made a loud buzzing noise!.
No airbags, PAS or anything on your car. Just the bog standard Ford radio (no cassette) and certainly a, the fact yours had a choke shoes it was a carb but fuel injection didn't become standard until about 1992.
Then in early 1994 further improvements were made with airbags etc, these are the MK3.5s.
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Here was my first car, as you can see was in very good condition for a £350 car back in 2007.
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/fiestasmall.jpg
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/engine.jpg
Note my crocodile lead bodge to make the temperature sensor work!.
i167.photobucket.com/albums/u141/amazingtrade/inside.jpg
I am still fond of that car though, even though I bought it before passing my test.
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PS I know I am parked outside white lines, I knew the owner of that drive at the time, and it wasn't in use so wasn't a problem parking there.
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Thanks Robin & Rattle. You have confirmed some of my recollections.
Upon doing further research, I can confirm mine didn't have a sunroof either.
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And another thing my car lacked was a catalytic converter.
This was a very good thing, because (see my second picture above), when one was motoring around rural Romania in the early 90s one pretty well never saw unleaded petrol for sale.
In fact, getting any petrol at all was a bit of a relief. I remember driving past a petrol station one day with a very, very long line of cars queuing up - and then had the wonderful experience later that day pulling into a petrol station in a small town which not only had no queue, but which also had petrol.
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Moscow? That one lane hamlet near Kilmarnock...
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>> Moscow? That one lane hamlet near Kilmarnock...
Indeed.
It was the first (and so far only) time in my life that I passed through it.
But the interesting thing is that the date was 19th August, 1991.
tinyurl.com/mq6ef
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>> Ford Tudor saloon... that's me in it, too!
Not sure about the driver Rastaman but that is a very handsome old Ford. Was it a flathead V8 or something different?
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Ford Tudor = two-door - geddit?
A flathead side-valve straight 4. Rated at 14.9HP.
Built in Canada and shipped over to UK in CKD form.
Three forward speeds, rod brakes and enough room in the back for shenanigans ;-)
I owned it for a year and spent 7/6d on it for a new starter switch in that time. It cost me £49 and IIRC I got £25 for it.
Next car was an Austin A35!
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>> side-valve straight 4. Rated at 14.9HP.
What's that, 2.5 litres or so? Almost as nice as a V8 though, and probably less alarming.
Would be worth a pretty penny now in sound condition.
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>> >> side-valve straight 4. Rated at 14.9HP.
>>
>> What's that, 2.5 litres or so?
RAC horsepower = ( D² x n ) / 2.5
where D = the diameter of the cylinder in inches and n = the number of cylinders
From that, the bore size is 3.05 inches. If we had the stroke we could calculate the swept volume or capacity.
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>>From that, the bore size is 3.05 inches. If we had the stroke we could calculate the swept volume or capacity.
From its age we could safely assume the stroke will be well over 3". I'd guess around 40 cubic inches, getting on for 2L?
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>> 40 cubic inches, getting on for 2L?
But engines were often quite long-stroke in those days, so perhaps more. Square or oversquare has been usual for many years.
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>> >>From that, the bore size is 3.05 inches. If we had the stroke we could
>> calculate the swept volume or capacity.
>>
>> From its age we could safely assume the stroke will be well over 3". I'd
>> guess around 40 cubic inches, getting on for 2L?
>>
Doing it the easy way, here's a calculator ............ www.vccansw.org/articles/vcca_article02.htm
3 inches stroke gives 1.56 litres.
4 inches stroke gives 1.92 litres
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>> Ford Tudor = two-door - geddit?
>> A flathead side-valve straight 4. Rated at 14.9HP.
Here's an article about the RAC horsepower rating. www.designchambers.com/wolfhound/wolfhoundRACHP.htm
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Something shonky about the maths here.
Wiki says: The engine was a water-cooled L-head 4-cylinder with a displacement of 201 cu in (3.3 l).
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>> Something shonky about the maths here.
I like shonky. I'm going to add it to my vocabulary.
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>> Wiki says: The engine was a water-cooled L-head 4-cylinder with a displacement of 201 cu in (3.3 l).
That sounds more like it bt. Fords nearly always went all right, and a sub-2 litre sidevalve would have made a car that size a total slug.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 14 Sep 13 at 15:09
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>> Not sure about the driver Rastaman but that is a very handsome old Ford. Was it a flathead V8 or something different?
That was a serious question, but I gather from Googling the thing that it probably was. Surely it doesn't offend you to be addressed as Rastaman Roger? You know it's a compliment.
The nice thing about yours is that it is unmolested, and not with hotrod suspension, wheels different sizes and a chromed Cadillac engine. They are much better like that. Any tweaking should be invisible in my opinion. Old spoked wheels can get a bit weak though.
I saw a very nice similar car in Australia when I was there, sharper radiator grille but otherwise quite similar, with a sidevalve V8. Charming old motor with a dark blue flake paint job.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 19:56
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1967 Wolseley Hornet. Leather seats, illuminating bonnet badge, can't remember whether it had any tree wood on the dash. Otherwise, apart from the extended but still vestigial boot, a standard Mini. Actually a bit less than standard in this case.
I acquired it essentially free, with an MoT and the knowledge it would never pass another. The hydrolastic suspension was more or less dead, and the rear subframe was very bad. Under my brother's direction, we rolled it onto its side on some old tyres, and swapped the subframe for one from the scrappers which was non-hydrolastic. We also got the Moulton rubber lumps and 'trumpets' for the front, and switched it to dry suspension.
Four brand new Colway remoulds and it was ready to roll. Not only did it roll, it pitched quite well too, owing to the complete absence of dampers, a trivial oversight. It never did get any, and a set of tyres lasted about 600 miles. Lucky they were only £3 each.
The engine and gearbox were never a minute's trouble. I once had to stop in rain so heavy I couldn't see, and as I pulled up about 2 gallons of water sloshed forwards out of the rear footwells, leaving me and my intended paddling in the front. Holes were duly knocked through the floor with a hammer and screwdriver to improve the drainage, the sun came out, and off we went.
Safety is taken far too seriously nowadays.
Last edited by: Manatee on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 15:05
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>> Safety is taken far too seriously nowadays.
>>
>>
>>
Ab-so-lutely.
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>> Safety is taken far too seriously nowadays.
Actually safety isn't taken seriously at all. It is faffed about in a very annoying way, especially by non-driving car-hating ignoramuses.
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Yes, of course it is. Which is why some many more people are killed on our roads now than 40 years ago.
*rolls eyes*
How do we all think we've managed to increase the numbers of cars on our roads many times over, and the number and lengths of journeys made, and still decreased the numbers of dead and injured in the last decades?
I do get tired of hearing all this old-fashioned "common sense" rot about safety.
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>>I do get tired of hearing all this old-fashioned "common sense" rot about safety.
I didn't think I needed to add the smiley. The thing was potentially lethal. On the other hand, I knew that, so it wasn't such a problem;)
Last edited by: Manatee on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 15:56
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Hunslet Scootacar: tinyurl.com/nvcmlte (They made railway engines)
Villiers 9E, 200cc, single cylinder, air cooled, two-stroke with reversing dynastart.
One door, no fuel gauge (reserve tap on fuel tank). 7" moggie minor drums on 8" wheels. You could stand it on its nose under braking. 4 forward and reverse gears!
It had a heater of sorts, the cooling air was directed up a chassis rail to a flap in the floor - absolutely useless.
I once saw over 50MPH on the speedo, downhill with a howling gale behind it.
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1976 Mini 850.
Big central speedo, with integral fuel gauge and idiot lights for oil pressure , alternator, main beam and indicators. Manual choke, rudimentary heater with single speed fan, drum brakes all round with no servo assistance, and no stereo. The only "luxury" feature was a heated rear window, and one day it shorted out and almost set the car on fire, never to work again.
The car did all of 85 flat out, which was a relief as that was 25 mph faster than the brakes were able to stop the car hard from. Handled amazingly, sipped fuel and steered like no car I've owned or driven since.
It was a rusty pile of crap quite honestly, but it was my rusty pile of crap, gave me my independence, and I loved it. Can't say I gave a hoot about crashworthiness.
Last edited by: DP on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 15:34
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In 1965 a 1948? Morris Minor Series MM regn NUG37
918cc SV - thermo cooling and no heater :) but stick on (rubber sucker screen) demister.
Luxury features included semaphore arms and flashing ears.
It was originally only equipped with single dip ns only ( but I moddded that pretty quickly) and a single wiper blade. I have never found reference to this reduced feature set in any literature, and would be grateful if anyone can back it up. It was certainly a a very early model as it had the famed spacer on the bumpers introduced late in the production schedule when the car was widened by about 4" and the bumper pressings had already been produced!
Other improvements made in my ownership included a new front crossmember, made from a piece of Dexion and welded in place.
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>> Safety is taken far too seriously nowadays.
You wouldn't say that if, like me, you'd seen someone with the steering column stuck in their chest.
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>> >> Safety is taken far too seriously nowadays.
>>
>> You wouldn't say that if, like me, you'd seen someone with the steering column stuck
>> in their chest.
I wouldn't say it anyway if I was being completely serious;)
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Like ROR's, it was three wheels. But German.
Messerschmitt KR (=Kabinroller) 200 - basically a Sachs two-stroke motorbike engine in a WW2 fighter body. Reverse was obtained by stopping the engine and restarting backwards, so you could use all four gears in reverse if you so wished.
Oh yes - cable brakes! A steering bar - no round wheel. Plenty of feedback from the road. Gear shift was sequential via lever on the right. Neutral selected by a trigger.
Top speed in a very tall fourth was about 65 mph; mind you, you were so close to the ground (your backside was about 1ft above it) it seemed a lot faster. Fantastic economy - up to 70 mpg.
Low centre of gravity, so it cornered like a Mini, but unsophisticated suspension (rubber torsion collars, no wishbones) meant a pot hole would nearly flip you over.
Spot-welded monocoque body round a simple tubular frame was prone to rust (but what car in those days wasn't?).
I must have had everything apart at some time or other, that could be dismantled. The gearbox was a pig to refurbish, with some parts an interference fit.
Another time, another life almost.
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 16:14
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A friend had a Bond Minicar, no reverse but single driven front wheel with the engine above it could be turned so far with the steering that the thing would spin round as it were on a sixpence. My buddy drove it flat out all the time with the front tyre perpetually squealing... he must have got through a lot of front tyres. It had I think a Villiers single-cylinder, perhaps 250cc, started by hand with a lever under the dash.
I can't remember its name, duh, but there was a small sports car made in three wheel and four wheel versions driven through the front wheels by a side-by-side twin two-stroke motorbike engine with the bike sequential gearbox too. I think there was a fast 3 cylinder version, but the twin was quite rapid enough for me. A friend had one of those too, a four wheeled version. He let me drive it and to my great shame I graunched every gearchange and once it was going, crashed it hard into a stone bank miraculously not getting us run over by the other traffic. I was very young and had hardly ever driven anything before, so it was idiotic of me to try. The owner still spoke to me afterwards but there was a sort of froideur, less than I deserved really.
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>> A friend had a Bond Minicar, no reverse but single driven front wheel with the
>> engine above it could be turned so far with the steering that the thing would
>> spin round as it were on a sixpence.
First car I ever rode in. My parents brought me home from the hospital in one. Dad used to parallel park it by going nose in, then picking up the rear end and dropping it in place.
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>>I can't remember its name, duh, but there was a small sports car made in three wheel and four wheel versions driven through the front wheels by a side-by-side twin two-stroke motorbike engine with the bike sequential gearbox too.
Berkely? en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berkeley_Cars
>>I think there was a fast 3 cylinder version
An even faster Royal Enfield version!
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Thank you bt, that was the one. All grp body, self-coloured not painted.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 17:34
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My first car was a 1.1 Austin Allegro.
Didn't even have reverse lights, it was that basic.
In the few months I had it, I went down the scrappie and got a few goodies for it. Rev counter, oil pressure gauge, clock, voltage gauge, ciggy lighter, reverse lights and switch. The only thing that was a 'luxury' was the radio cassette player which then got donated to my 2nd car, a Mk1 Astra that only had a MW/LW radio fitted.
Youngers today don't know how lucky they are.
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"...my 2nd car, a Mk1 Astra..."
And that was the start of a life-long love-affair.
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First car is still my 2010 Scenic, bought this last February when I was 18. Before that I didn’t need my own car as I could borrow my Mum’s Mondeo TDCI estate but a change in her work patterns meant that she was using it more and more when I asked to borrow it.
I had a petrol go-cart at one time until the engine went pop. Does that count?
My Dad (he's 42) had a 1976 Golf, somewhere he's still got a picture of it.
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>> First car is still my 2010 Scenic, bought this last February when I was 18.
>> Before that I didn’t need my own car as I could borrow my Mum’s Mondeo
>> TDCI estate but a change in her work patterns meant that she was using it
>> more and more when I asked to borrow it.
>>
>> I had a petrol go-cart at one time until the engine went pop. Does that
>> count?
>>
>> My Dad (he's 42) had a 1976 Golf, somewhere he's still got a picture of
>> it.
I guess the 1994 in your username is your year of birth?
Do keep posting here, its really interesting to see the perspective of (from my POV at 54) the next generation but one of motorists who are engaged with subject.
My lad is same age and a capable driver but, while a brilliant musician and student of history and philosophy he's no feel at all for machinery - whether cars or push bikes. In fact it's fascinating how like my Dad he is with tools e.g. holding a screwdriver like a hammer! I inherited or absorbed a fascination for how stuff works and how to fix it via the maternal side - my Maternal Uncle was an engineer and wartime pilot.
Nature and nurture are weird bedfellows.
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>>
>> I guess the 1994 in your username is your year of birth?
>>
Yes, giddy heights of 19 now, guess soon I will have to start being sensible, although looking at my parents that can probably wait another 20 years! I so hope they’re not reading this…ha ha.
I have friends who are completely uninterested in cars, a few do not have a car and show no interest at all in having one, so your son is not unusual.
Then at the other extreme is my best friend Darren who is 24 and a complete car nut, he’s more like an older brother really and my regular tennis opponent. I am sure when he was created petrol was put in his veins rather than blood. At the last count he had five different vehicles, although not all roadworthy, I think two are SORNed. His main car is an Imprezza with a ridiculous exhaust, rock hard suspension and it makes a silly whooshing sound when it changes gear. He does track days and goes to club meetings where they all gawp at each others exhausts, air filters and other mods they’ve done. I went along once with him but it did nothing for me. I enjoy helping him out when he’s got something to fix, I am very grateful since I’ve learned a lot from him and he took me on a track day once which was great but it’s really sport and other outdoor activities such as walking and camping that are our mutual interests. Oddly he also likes old Landrovers, he has a 1960s model which is about the complete opposite of his Imprezza, slow, noisy, murderously uncomfortable but can be fixed with a pair of pliers and screwdriver. He let me drive it once, an experience I won’t forget in a hurry – no synchromesh on first and second gears, heavy clutch, vague steering, push-and-hope brakes and non-existent suspension. Quite fun in a way but I was happy to swap seats again.
I sit somewhere between the two extremes, I’m more interested in motoring issues than cars themselves. For example what cars will we drive in the future, pollution, road congestion and road pricing, safety, public v private transport debates etc. I drive a Scenic diesel, can’t really get more uninteresting than that. I’ve mentioned before why I bought it but basically a car to me is a tool, if it can’t allow me to do the things I need then it’s no use. My brother who’s recently turned 16 is developing an interest in cars, he likes Evoques but I think he might have to wait a few years…
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I am 31 and I am anything but sensible, staying out till 4:00am knowing you have a 26 hour coach ride at 11:00am in the morning etc. The trick is to be old and wise enough to know what you can get away with. The problem with being 19 is you don't have that experience, which usually means. Enjoy life without going too over the top. My weeks are very very boring and dull, but my weekends are always great.
As for cars, I love cars but I don't like driving so my Panda 1.1 is perfect for me. So cheap to run and not much more than £200 a year to insure.
PS I didn't pass my test until I was 26, because I simply had no reason to.
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>> I love cars but I don't like driving so
... what you really need is a lot of money and a nice suave relaxed laid-back chauffeur, a bit like that Dodi Fayed. He could probably have passed for a Sheikh in some circles too.
If the pay and conditions were OK and the horseflesh up to scratch I might once have volunteered to be tested for the chauffeur's job. But alas, my driving is too staid these days to suit an impatient drunk playboy with an impatient drunk dolly or two in tow. I was in London today and butter wouldn't have melted in my mouth. Hardly used a dozen expletives all the way home.
So when your Grand Theft Auto in Space with Vampires program hits the big time you will have to look elsewhere. Perhaps there are some drunk unreliable flash car fanciers among your acquaintance? They will be queuing up. Pity really because I was looking forward to meeting you and seeing what you were like as an employer.
:o}
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Alfasud Sprint Veloce. I don't have any photo's but this is a very similar picture
tinyurl.com/odbmhu3
No electric windows, which is a good thing on an Alfa. But not what you would call basic compared to some of the others on here.
As you can imagine it rusted badly. The only car I had where the top of the rear wings rusted through. The metal was too thin to weld, so I became an Isopon king.
I was too skint to replace the tyres so I put up with the fossilised Firestones on the car that had all the adhesional qualities of PTFE coated banana skins - in the wet the front would just slide away suddenly which I hated.
It wouldn't start in the rain until much churning, then I would wake up the neighbours with a huge bang through the exhaust and kangaroo'd down the road. It probably only needed a set of leads but I couldn't be bothered. The front driveshaft would detach itself every now and then. I became expert at looking in the rear view mirror to see where the spacer for the CV joint would go so I could find it later.
I also had a lot of fun in that car :)
Last edited by: corax on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 17:28
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>> Alfasud Sprint Veloce. I don't have any photo's but this is a very similar picture
>>
>> tinyurl.com/odbmhu3
Oh my oh my oh my. Probably my favourite car of all time. I've only ever driven a standard Sud, but lusted after these all my life. The colour of the one in the picture is amazing. A proper early version, too. Oh my oh my oh my.
You lucky bguger.
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>> I've only
>> ever driven a standard Sud, but lusted after these all my life. The colour of
>> the one in the picture is amazing. A proper early version, too. Oh my oh
>> my oh my.
Apart from the two twin choke webers on mine, I don't think there was much difference Alanovic, apart from looks. The boxer engine wasn't powerful, but revved to the sky, and the handling was very good, especially after getting out of my mates mk2 Escorts and Capri's.
The front inboard discs were a pain in the backside.
I bought the first one I saw of course, getting ahead of myself. It wasn't the best example, but it was something different and made me hanker after an 80's GTV6, a car I loved, despite the fact that they were a potential money pit.
I chickened out though :)
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1962 model, Ford Popular 100e.
The engine air filter consisted of a little disc of coarse foam held over the mouth of the carb by a small piece of aluminium screwed into the top of the carb body.
3 speed box, no synchromesh between 1st & 2nd. Vacuum wipers that slowed to a stop the more throttle used.
A little cast squared peg to fit in suitable hole to open the boot. No radio of course but opening quarterlights to provide extra ventilation.
No adjustments to the seats or steering wheel, the front seats tilted forwards to allow access to the back. Just thin rubber sheeting where carpets would normally go.
It did have a working temperature dial and a proper spare tyre, which is more than my 4 year old Nissan has!
50 mph a very frightening and noisy top speed - eventually. Great fun though.
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My first car was a lovely 1959 Standard Ensign that I bought in 1963. It had a heater, but no radio. Front seat was a bench, and it was a genuine six seater. It was the cheaper version of the Standard Vanguard.
Disc brakes were just coming out and one of the Ford models was one of the first of the mass produced cars to have front discs, but they weren't servo assisted.
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To add to this, it had a manual choke as did most cars then which needed constant adjustment during warm-up to keep the motor running smoothly.
For security it had two very basic keys, one to open the driver's door and the other for the ignition, which had a pull button to turn the engine.
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Picture of my Riley 9 and me (with hair)
tinyurl.com/qb7al94
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Mine was a Mk1 Fiat Panda 1000S. 4 speeds, a space for a radio and those super secure opening rear side windows that enabled scroats to nick my stereo and leave the space - twice! On a steep enough hill it could be wound up to an indicated 83mph, which was probably about 70 in reality...
Last edited by: Alastairw on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 18:23
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VW Polo Formel E - 1983 in a very faded mars red. It had 133K on the clock when I got it, but I soon realised that the numbers never went around so no idea how many miles it really had on it.
For those that remember, the Formel E was VW's forerunner to bluemotion so it came with a fantastically high ratio gearbox which meant that you could almost top 90 in 3rd. Great when you were 18 :-)
Handled like it was floating on jelly and the brakes were almost non existent but I have fond memories of the freedom it gave me
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You look smart madf.What a car inpressive.
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Haven't got a clue what all these cars look like, except the old Mini. Just as well there's Google! Fiat Uno looks quite a nice car, for a 30 year old design.
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>> Haven't got a clue what all these cars look like, except the old Mini. Just
>> as well there's Google! Fiat Uno looks quite a nice car, for a 30 year
>> old design.
>>
Now *that* makes me feel old ;-)
One for sale on ebay though: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121172124668
Newer than mine, and engine updated to 60bhp :-)
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This is a great thread - thank you Rattle. For a lot of us, our first car was something special, as it was for me - a lovely old 1955 Austin A50 Cambridge, OCE 340. Cambridge-registered, suitably, and bought there in my final week at university there in 1969. It never failed to start first go, nor ever let me down on the road. Driving behind that famous flying-A bonnet mascot made you feel good to be British.
Sad, isn't it, what happened eventually to Austin. In the 1950s they were far the best mass-produced car you could buy, with OHV engines, 4-speed gearboxes and independent front suspension, which most of the competition didn't have.
How basic was it? In 1969 it didn't feel all that basic; it had a heater and demister, but all the other gadgets that we take for granted now were still to come in the 60s.
Last edited by: Avant on Wed 11 Sep 13 at 23:42
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Very Basic. 1937 Austin 7, bought for £25 and shared by 4 of us!
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>> Very Basic. 1937 Austin 7, bought for £25 and shared by 4 of us!
>>
I've sat in the back of a pre-war Austin 7 and there was only enough room for one foot in each of the rear foot-wells.
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>> This is a great thread - thank you Rattle. For a lot of us, our
>> first car was something special, as it was for me - a lovely old 1955
>> Austin A50 Cambridge, OCE 340. Cambridge-registered, suitably, and bought there in my final week at
>> university there in 1969. It never failed to start first go, nor ever let me
>> down on the road. Driving behind that famous flying-A bonnet mascot made you feel good
>> to be British.
>>
Similar for me; a 1958 A55 in grey and rust. Gave a clapped-out Triumph 3TA for it when I was in the Army, it lasted about 6 months and died (blown head gasket) on the A1 just outside Doncaster having carted four squaddies and all their luggage up from Bordon in Hampshire, and running on Army petrol.
Avant, you'd have been all misty-eyed had you been with me last weekend at the Trip Out event. A young couple brought a very tatty but running and legal A50 over from Hereford; I caught up with them in a lay-by near Oxford on the return journey, coil had gone but he'd got a spare and was back up and running in a few minutes.
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Similar to Bromp
1971 Morris Minor
35hp IIRC, no synchro on first, heater (but I don't recall fan controls), no radio, no seat height adjustment (SWMBO used a cushion), vinyl seats (lovely when it was hot) central speedo with temperature indication and not a lot else. main beam on floor, manual screen wash, no airbags (what were they), manual seatbelts in the front, none in rear. Dimmer on the instrument light just turned it off. Single speed wipers, no intermittent.
Crossply tyres. . . Lovely in the wet. Drum brakes all round, Sticky fuel pump and when it rained water collected on top of the battery. Carburettor Every new driver should have to drive one for a month or so.
Most important - starting handle (it did have a starter but batteries were not that good in 1980)
This was the "late model" so it didn't have trafficators. At least it was the 1098cc, the earlier versions must have been really slow.
It is the only car we sold for more than we paid for it.
Next one was a 1981 Fiesta Popular Plus which was a huge step forward but still sparse by modern standards.
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>> 1971 Morris Minor
>> Every new driver should have to drive one for a month or so.
Driving a 4-speed Morris Minor was a doddle. I passed my test in a circa 1956 version. If you want a challenge then a 1955 3-speed Ford Prefect is the car to drive. It wouldn't pull at less than 20mph in 2nd, so when you got down to that speed you had to change down into 1st which had no synchromesh. tinyurl.com/opvy2v6
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Plus, ISTR, it had vacuum driven wipers which stopped when you put your foot down to overtake! Just what one needed!
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THe comment was aimed at the handling rather than the performance. Just after we met SWMBO rotated it twice on the elevated bit of the A1 in Newcastle (1978 ish) by turning the wheel quickly when she was about to pass her exit. Luckily 0800 Sunday morning so no-one else around and she didn't hit the barriers
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1966 - brand new Cortina that I specced up
1) Seat belts £10
2) Windscreen washers £3 (manual)
3) Radials £10 upgrade C41s to SP41s IIRC
4) Internal bonnet release £3
5) Under sealed £20
6) Demist panel for rear window
I could not afford a radio as it was £30 +aerial + fitting say £40!
- about 2 weeks wages for a worker.
I was 19 - Comp was £50/year and RFL £12.50
Japanese cars started to appear - they had lots of extras radio, (aerial only on basic car), 2 speed wipers (self parking), electric window washers - they were that the start of the end of the old style British built car manufacturer.
The car rusted (front wings) in 4 years and overall it was poorly built, sold in 1970 with 45K on the clock - got £330 for it!
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Being a bit of a cynic, I'm expecting someone to say that their first car was brand new and was bought for them by daddy.
;-)
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>> Being a bit of a cynic, I'm expecting someone to say that their first car
>> was brand new and was bought for them by daddy.
>> ;-)
>>
My first car was new and it was paid for by my parents.
It was a 1959 Ford Popular, 1172c.c. side valve engine (E93A?) About £440 IIRC. I part exchanged two motorbikes as part of the deal.
Two doors. Four speeds, no syncromesh on first. No heater. Wipers vacuum powered from the inlet manifold which meant that went mad going downhill and gradually slowed to a stop going uphill, that was after I fitted a boost tank to the wipers! Vinyl upholstery.
However, it was warmer and drier than a motorbike.
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A 1969 Ford Capri 1600XL.
Basic? Yes, Basically it pulled women like nothing on earth.
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Fuel injection? Airbag? Sheer luxury. My first jalopy was a V reg Austin Allegro3 1.1L in hearing-aid beige. It didn't even come with any kind of radio, in fact so many cars didn't that you could buy a dashboard bracket in Halfords to give you somewhere to mount one. The car's "luxury" features were reversing lights and the fitment to the passenger side of both a door mirror and a sun visor!
As far as build quality and reliability go, by 48,000 miles it was completely cream crackered.
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A colleague of mine had his new Allegro fail its first MOT for corrosion. He was driving in Germany, on well salted roads and the test was conducted to the German standard (TUV) so he might have done better in UK!
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It didn't even come with any kind of radio, in fact so many cars didn't that you could buy a dashboard bracket in Halfords to give you somewhere to mount one.
Austin Morris in Longbridge tried fitting radios on the line - they lost 20% of radios to theft...so gave up...
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>> Austin Morris in Longbridge tried fitting radios on the line - they lost 20% of
>> radios to theft...so gave up...
>>
I spent a short time in digs in Birkenhead as a youngster, the husband of the house worked at the Vauxhall plant at Ellesmere Port. He owned a Vauxhall Cresta fitted with every export modification you could imagine, none of which were available legally in the UK at that time.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 12 Sep 13 at 15:59
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Years ago the local yoof would climb on board the trains taking Fords away from the Halewood plant, basically to steal radios etc. Naturally one of them was standing up too high when a train went under a bridge and had his head knocked off. The grieving Mother was quoted by the Liverpool Daily Post as saying "I blame it on Ford, they make it too easy for the kids" Poor parenting is not a new phenomenon.
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1958 Austin A35. Tuned up by filling the rusty sills with glop and spraying them over with the same horrible bright green paint my pal used on his MGA.
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I had a 1.5L un-turbo'd P-reg Rover 100 Knightsbridge (aka the Metro with a curve or two beaten into the bodywork). I quite liked it, though I believe it had one of the worst crash-test performances of any car tested.
One of these:
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rover_100_Knightsbridge_SE.jpg
I used the photo from the test as a motivation to not crash the car:
tinyurl.com/pyp3kxe
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My recollection is that, in the crash test, the body distorted so badly and so quickly that the driver's head actually missed the airbag!
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My Girlfriend had one of those but it was the 114 GSi (i think) Quite nippy, but had these stupid low profile wheels and with no PAS parking was a pain.
It was an ex AA driving school car and I pity the poor sods that had to do 3 point turns in it
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>> It was an ex AA driving school car and I pity the poor sods that
>> had to do 3 point turns in it
>>
Power steering doesn't matter if you've never driven before, most of us got along fine without it for years. You only miss it when you've become used to it.
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After transition from motor bikes through Bond 3 wheeler, I bought a 1958 Wolseley 15/60 Farina.....JCW 18...wish I had the number now !
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk3XHuDDeEY
Nice car, luxurious. Leather and walnut. Little equipment apart from the usual stuff. C41 crossplys £8.00 each new.
Two tone paint, pale blue over dark blue. Chipped it in for a pale blue Herald convertible with white hood and tonneau. Previous owner was Anne Reid, the actress....YBA 60...wish I had that one as well !
Contrast the Wuzzly with a car we've been swanning around The Dales in for the last 3 days. Went with another couple and he borrowed a car from work...A Mercedes S350 Blueray stretch.
Went like stink when you gave it a taste of the whip, but I'm not sure the old Wuzzly would have had enough power to carry just the switches in the Benz's cabin !
Ted
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My first car was a 1975 FIAT 128 Coupe with 1290cc OHC twin choke Webber carb which my Dad bought new on a P plate in 1975.
Manual choke, naturally.
Wind up and down front windows.
Manual seat belts in the front, no inertia reel, little plastic clips to hold the belts when not in use which lasted warranty + 1 day before snapping off. Nothing in the back.
Tilt open rear windows.
Black vinyl seats.
Factory fitted heated rear window.
Two speed heater fan which was very effective in winter in this car. FIAT had a 70/30 ratio with heaters, they were excellent in 70% of the cars and carp in 30%.
Intermittent + two speed wipers.
Wash wipe was a rubber button in the dash pumped screen wash from the light blue rubber bag hung on the nearside inner wing. You took the bag out to fill it, the cap had the hose coming out through it to the washer nozzles. The clips were made of tin, you just know how long they lasted...
Bonnet opened from the windscreen, hinged at the front of the car, the release clip for closing being directly above the radiator. Ensured warm fingers when closing after the engine had been running for a short time.
Spare wheel was mounted over the top of the master brake cylinder and gearbox and held in by a rubber strap. The spare wheel was the same as the other road wheels.
No PAS, ABS, airbags, emergency brake assist, didn't event have a fog light or hazard warning lights. Fog lights became requirement in 1979 I think it was.
145 x 13 radial tyres, Pirelli Cinturato P7 were originals but wore out in no time at all and my Dad wouldn't have them again.
Aftermarket Sharp radio/cassette was suspended from under the dash with a couple of home made clips screwed into the dash with a couple of self-tappers, two speakers on the rear parcel shelf with cables run along under the door finishing plates which were fastened on with Philips headed screws.
Dim/dipping rear view mirror operated by switch under the mirror body the same as non-auto dipping mirrors today.
Chrome window surrounds were metal as were the bumpers, they'd be worth a small fortune today.
Instrument panel had separate speedo, rev counter, fuel and water temp gauges + lights for Press (oil pressure), a charge light and a blue light for main beam. Fuel gauge had a low fuel light which would flash on at anything less than half of the 11 gallon tank when going around a corner as there was no damping in the circuitry.
www.motorbase.com/picture/by-id/-545522647
The 2nd car was a Strada 105TC:
www.flickr.com/photos/triggerscarstuff/5828722394/
I always wanted a 130TC but the thought of tuning four carbs on a four cylinder FIAT did nothing for me.
My third car was one of these for the FIAT 127 lovers above:
tinyurl.com/pcrwpm9
Even had an oil gauge to the right of the instrument panel and a stop watch built in to the clock in the overhead panel above the rear view mirror.
Last edited by: gmac on Fri 13 Sep 13 at 22:15
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the 3P was more practical with the hatch than the booted 128 Coupe.
Interior always looked a bit brighter too with the tartan and vinyl rather than the coal hole all black. Rear lights of the 3P tidied up the rear too.
I always hankered after an X1/9 but then a Monte Carlo caught my eye and before I knew it I was all grown up and driving a V6 SAAB 900 automatic with a wife a nipper. Once she gave me the Spanish archer I bought myself a 20v turbo coupe in Sprint Blue as consolation.
Last edited by: gmac on Fri 13 Sep 13 at 22:35
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Thinking about it, the Alfa 4C looks like it could be fun while I can still straighten up.
History repeating itself, SAAB 900 to FIAT Coupe, Volvo S60 to an Alfa 4C just without the financial pain this time would be good...
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Gosh, I'd forgotten all about the 3P. Don't suppose there were ever that many in the UK but it has a certain style.
I've mentioned my first car here before: an Escort Bonus 90 bought new in November 1989 with my graduate-intake salary from a well-known IT multinational. Payments were £172.86 a month and the first year's insurance was free - handy for a 21yo with no record.
There had been a previous Bonus edition based on the Popular Plus but available only in black or silver. The 90 extended the choice to include all the metallic colours in the catalogue, and I went for Matisse Blue, a bright azure that suited the angular shape and white wheeltrims, and still makes me smile when I see it on the occasional Escort or Fiesta from that era.
Inside, the basics were covered well enough: carpets, decent fabric seats with fixed A-frame head restraints and proper stepless recline, mirrors that adjusted from inside (not electric, of course), four proper seat belts (and one improper one), an FM radio, front wipers with an intermittent setting and a rear wiper without. Swankier Escorts had a rev counter and a digital clock; mine had an analogue clock beside the speedometer, just like my LEC today.
Only four gears, which made it a bit frantic on the motorway, but 1.3 litres and 63hp did a decent job with only 830kg to propel. Averaged 42mpg over four years and 43,000 miles. Fantastic car that - as you can probably tell - I remember very fondly. Vastly better - and better value - than the Astra I mistakenly replaced it with.
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Payments were £172.86 a month and the first year's insurance was free - handy for a 21yo with no record.
>>
>>
>>
Free insurance irrespective of age was quite common with new cars for a time. After Citroen dropped it in the late nineties the salesman at the local dealers told me it had lost them 12 million in claim payouts.
Last edited by: Robin O'Reliant on Sat 14 Sep 13 at 12:37
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A girl at work had a Fiat X1/9 www.simoncars.co.uk/fiat/fx19.html It had a badge on it which said Bertone. When we were in a mischievous mood we used to ask her why her car was called Bert One.
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A guy I worked for had one. Always caught my eye as being pretty and I longed for a go in it.
On day an urgent customer visit was needed and it was the only car in the car park so I got my wish.........disappointing was an understatement
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A guy I worked for had one. Always caught my eye as being pretty and I longed for a go in it.
We are still talking about the X1/9, aren't we, Mikey?
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>> A guy I worked for had one. Always caught my eye as being pretty and
>> I longed for a go in it.
>>
>> On day an urgent customer visit was needed and it was the only car in
>> the car park so I got my wish.........disappointing was an understatement
>>
1500 SOHC 85bhp was never really going to set the world on fire...
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Here's my sister in her late husbands car at age 21 in 1952 ... the year I was born!
img856.imageshack.us/img856/8356/aabw.jpg
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There's nothing new about lots of cars looking the same!
That could be a Morris, an Austin, a Standard, a Hillman or half a dozen other makes, I'd guess circa 1932. I don't know why but I've a feeling it's a Hillman. Do you know what it is, Dog, or if not perhaps one of our senior brethren will help?
Last edited by: Avant on Sun 15 Sep 13 at 20:30
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My money would be on an Austin 7, Avant, the reg. no. is/was KV 3045.
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Not an Austin 7, too big.
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Yes, I noticed it has an extra side window compared to the Austin 7, someone will know what it is I'm sure ;)
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Looks like an Austin 10 to me. Not too sure about the lower back end.
Conceivably a Singer or Standard. But to the extent that you can see the front, I'd take a small punt on Austin.
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>> I'd take a small punt on Austin.
... but might lose to Crocks in the final analysis.
1124cc... I'd rather have Rastaman's Ford any day!
Winsome babe your sis Perro. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
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>>Winsome babe your sis Perro. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
She's still with us Sire, mother of 4 plus 4 grandchildren.
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I think Crocks's photo and the KV registration are pretty conclusive in favour of the Hillman. KV was a Coventry registration and I expect a lot of loyal locals bought Hillmans (Hillmen?) and Standards.
Minx is an odd name, isn't it, for a 30+ year series of rather pedestrian, usually underpowered family cars. It would better suit something more cheeky, like a 30s Fiat 500 or in modern times perhaps a Suzuki Swift.
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I have a fondness for the car names of yesteryear such as the Hillman Minx, Singer Gazelle, Humber Sceptre etc.
I wouldn't say no to one of these either: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hilman_1947.jpg
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>> I have a fondness for the car names of yesteryear such as the Hillman Minx,
>> Singer Gazelle, Humber Sceptre etc.
>>
A damn sight better than calling one a "Note" or an "Up". Who thinks of these bleedin' stupid names?
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>> Who thinks of
>> these bleedin' stupid names?
Bloke called Cedric. He is dead now, his son Adam has taken over.
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 16 Sep 13 at 22:28
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Zoe helps out too.
I think the worst names still sit with Mitsubishi and Skoda.
Carisma and Superb...
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>>I think the worst names still sit with Mitsubishi and Skoda.
Galant anybody? ... I wouldn't mind a Jowett Javelin though :)
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Good video here of 2 cars from the-golden-age-of-motoring, a Jowett Javelin and a Humber Super Snipe.
I never realised the J/Javelin had a boxer engine until I watched this video, listened to car trundling along and thought, hello, hello, hello, I know that sound!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJcbLf2kwgk
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>> Zoe helps out too.
>>
>> I think the worst names still sit with Mitsubishi and Skoda.
>> Carisma and Superb...
>>
Carisma, as owner of such vehicle, I get the p taken at work. Whats in a name.
My vote - Ford Probe
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>> A damn sight better than calling one .......... an "Up".
Up! is certainly an odd name considering that it goes along and not up.
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Up! has had a revamp in the naming department. Gone are the colours to be replaced with:
e-Up! the electric one for the fiscally careful in Yorkshire actually pronounce Ay Up in German
cheer Up! for the manic depressive
groove Up! for Rattle on Saturday night
eco Up! for those with a myoclonic jerk of the diaphragm
Last edited by: gmac on Wed 18 Sep 13 at 20:43
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And a motorway mile muncher for reps called an Up Yours!
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Mine a Cortina Mk1 was basic enough, but less so when I turned a 180 to see a mate who I'd just passed and on completion of the man oover I caught a Ruddy Lamp post and totalled the wing! Pratsville or what. I've had a red face ever since.
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Dog's photo of a Minx convertible reminds me of a lovely scene towards the end of 'Genevieve' where, almost back at Westminster, Genevieve is held up by an old lady tootling along in a similar Hillman.
That era produced some of the best car names, like the Standard Vanguard and Triumph Renown - gloriously British. But I do also like the (70s?) Datsun Fairlady - not one for the faint-hearted.
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Another pretty little car I was unaware of, that's two this week after Manatee's Caterham 21.
MGB/spridget inspired I guess?
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I have a deeply personal and good reason for a prejudice against the Hillman Minx, but as I know I've explained the prejudice before I won't now.
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S'funny how many cars looked the same 'back then' ... bit like many of today's cars (perish the thought)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Standard_Little_9_1933_-_1936.JPG
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I too had a Fiat 127. WKO 660S. Great car. 900cc but no weight, so felt fast. Very basic (no radio even!), but the thing I remember best was the water bottle for the washer 'jets'. It was effectively a hot water bottle with two holes at the top for it to hang off. This was not a bodged repair but how it left the factory. Activated with a rubber push button inside (no motor). Fabulous.
Also the best bit was the opening quarter lights in the front windows that allowed you to flick the fag ash off the cigarette (and eventually the cigarette itself without risk of it blowing back in and burning the rear seats (happened to a boss who did this with a new Rolls Royce and his cigar...).
If it was not for the dreaded rust that car would still be running now.
In contrast my second car was a Citroen GSA. At the time very modern in parts. Power assisted disc brakes all round (stopping power was incredible), that oleomatic suspension (could go a see a girlfriend who lived in a house in the middle of a field that only 4x4's could previously get to), and a completely mad cabin with pods instead of levers, hand brake looked like it was a spade handle you pulled out from the dash where the stereo should be and the stereo down where the handbrake should be, and no dials, just a window with a rotating drum behind it. Oh and a 1.3 litre aircooled flat 4 boxer engine. Bonkers but I loved it.
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>> In contrast my second car was a Citroen GSA. At the time very modern in
>> parts. Power assisted disc brakes all round (stopping power was incredible),
A GSA was my 8th car. I remember the ferocious brakes. The pedal hardly moved, and any pressure on it was enough to stop it dead. It took a while to get used to the feel. It was scrapped due to cream crackered suspension and a leaking fuel tank seam. I bought it for £180 with about 4 months MOT and that's about how long I had it..........loved it though.
Last edited by: Alanović on Thu 19 Sep 13 at 13:10
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>> A GSA was my 8th car. I remember the ferocious brakes. The pedal hardly moved,
>> and any pressure on it was enough to stop it dead. It took a while
>> to get used to the feel. It was scrapped due to cream crackered suspension and
>> a leaking fuel tank seam. I bought it for £180 with about 4 months MOT
>> and that's about how long I had it..........loved it though.
I'd have loved a GS but never had the nerve to buy one. The 'toe twitch' braking response was still there on my first BX a 1986 1.6RD. By the time of the second, a 91/H 19TGD estate they'd modified the valve arrangement to give a more progressive feel. I liked it less.
The just departed Xantia had brakes that felt just like any other car.
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A GS Pallas was my 6th car in the mid 70s. At a time when most were driving cars like Escorts and Vivas it was like something from the future.
Superb thick brown tweedy cord upholstery not out of place on an expensive sofa and a nice set of round dials in an engine turned style surround. Briefly had a GSA many years later as a farm track/field car and it still felt special.
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How basic was your first car? - PeterS
