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Compared to modern cars they were rubbish. I wouldn't buy it if I was a multi-millionaire with money to burn.
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>> Compared to modern cars they were rubbish
true to some extent for all cars from that era, you wouldn't want to drive one in commuter traffic on a motorway.
Some of them, including this one, would still be a bit of fun on a sunny afternoon, if you like that kind of thing. I, for one, wouldn't mind one.
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>> Compared to modern cars they were rubbish.
Hardly the point though, is it? Nobody is seriously going to look at this as an alternative to a modern hatchback.
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I'd be quite happy to bimble along in one to some local car shows and meets, imbibe a nice cold beer on a hot day, pull the old string gloves back on and bimble home again. Whats not to like?
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I'd be quite tempted, but it might not get signed off by the finance committee and I have a feeling it will make more than that too.
And actually there's be no point in me paying the premium for an unused one, because I'd want to use it.
A Hyundai i10 is a better car but that's not the point.
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I wouldn't be tempted, but I remember the Herald well. It wasn't rubbish at all by the standards of it day. It was perhaps the last small car made here with a separate chassis, and access to the mechanical parts was exceptionally good. The body panels too were designed to be changed easily.
It's swing axle rear end also gave it entertaining, tail-happy handling if you were on top of it, terrifying sudden lift-off oversteer if you weren't. It could be rowed along quite rapidly and someone - Jack Brabham I think - brought out a version with a Coventry Climax screamer of an engine. Never got to try one of those.
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>> It's swing axle rear end also gave it
Oh good God... an intrusive apostrophe. This place is corrupting me... or perhaps I am unconsciously resisting Zero who wants to do away with punctuation altogether and modernize English into a sort of mid-Atlantic Anglo-Indian computer pidgin...
I wish Iffy would come back. He might well have made some waspish observation to keep me honest.
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>> >> It's swing axle rear end also gave it
>>
>> Oh good God ... an intrusive apostrophe. This place is corrupting me ......
Agonize not, Armel Coussine. I read somewhere that, with the continual change of the English language, eventually it will become correct to use an apostrophe to denote both possession and plural. You're just a bit ahead of the change, that's all.
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>> I wish Iffy would come back.
So what (or, more likely, who) upset iffy?
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>> So what (or, more likely, who) upset iffy?
Nothing, IIRC. He just wanted to take a break from here.
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>> >> So what (or, more likely, who) upset iffy?
>>
>> Nothing, IIRC. He just wanted to take a break from here.
>>
VxFan
Did you ever try to contact Tooslow, who hasn't posted for quite some time now?
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>> VxFan
>> Did you ever try to contact Tooslow
Was I asked to, or did I offer?
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>> Was I asked to, or did I offer?
Yes. I asked you.
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>> Looks like you asked RP, not me.
But then again, maybe you asked me too.
www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=t&t=7802&m=172309
I've just looked through my sent items folder as well to see if I actually did - yes, but no reply back.
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>> >> Looks like you asked RP, not me.
>> But then again, maybe you asked me too.
>> www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?v=t&t=7802&m=172309
>>
>> I've just looked through my sent items folder as well to see if I actually
>> did - yes, but no reply back.
That's a pity. Thanks, Dave.
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>>>access to the mechanical parts was exceptionally good
This was due to the front hinging of the entire bonnet assembly, a feature carried on into my Spitfire. It also had an exceptionally small turning circle so was very easy to park.
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"Whats not to like?"
No space to do the business with hookers.
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Have you seen that herald bonnet? made for the job.
"Grab the wipers dahlin"
Last edited by: Zero on Mon 23 Sep 13 at 18:36
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Back in the late'70s I had a Triumph Spitfire which was after all a Herald in drag. I was 18 years old and loved it then. I wouldn't want one now though. Things have their time.
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>> >> Compared to modern cars they were rubbish.
>>
>> Hardly the point though, is it? Nobody is seriously going to look at this as
>> an alternative to a modern hatchback.
>>
Why would anyone want to buy it ~ to be able to brag to their acquaintances that they could afford to buy a car that they didn't need to use, or what?
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>> Why would anyone want to buy it
Because some people, unlike you, like that sort of thing, they get some pleasure from having and driving something different once in a while.
Whatever floats your / their boat
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>> Why would anyone want to buy it ~ to be able to brag to their
>> acquaintances that they could afford to buy a car that they didn't need to use,
>> or what?
This seems a rather strange question to ask on a car enthusiast forum. If you are a car enthusiast, car ownership is rarely all about need or functionality. Sometimes it's just about owning something for the joy of it, and for appreciating it for what it is. I seriously doubt bragging or boasting comes into it.
For what it's worth, I agree with you in as much as this Herald does nothing for me personally, but as a pristine example of a very rare car, it is going to appeal to a lot of people.
Not everything in life has to have a purpose. Sometimes, it is perfectly acceptable to do or purchase something for no other reason than you like it, and want to enjoy it. I didn't need a £300 Alfa Romeo, but it's been a catalyst for some quality time with good friends, and hopefully some fun on track next year. In terms of purpose there is none whatsoever.
A life where we only ever did anything that had a purpose would be pretty miserable.
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>> If you
>> are a car enthusiast, car ownership is rarely all about need or functionality.
Yep, I'm a rare person!
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My first car was a Triumph Herald 948cc convertible that I bought in the early 70's for £30.
I learnt how to top up the dashpots on the twin SU's, adjust the tappets, and fiddle about with the vernier adjustment on the Lucas distributor.
If I had to choose between driving my Subaru and driving a Herald, it would be a difficult choice.
;-)
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My first car too... a 12/50 model.
Rear end breakaway was nasty on 5.20 crossplys but a new set of 5.5J wheels and 175 or180 tyres made a massive improvement. As did the Hella lamps, Phillips cassette, sheepskin seat covers, extra instruments etc.
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The engine was shot in mine so probably never went over 40 MPH, quite awful really when I think about it!
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>> As did the Hella lamps, Phillips cassette,
>> sheepskin seat covers, extra instruments etc.
>>
Now your talking!!
Mate at school had a convertible. Gret fun!
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Yep fond memories of the freedom it gave me. Left school at 18, got car, straight into decent job, got money, did things.... excellent times.
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>>I learnt how to top up the dashpots on the twin SU's
Twin SUs on a Herald?
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Well, s'long time ago bt, could have been Stromboli's I sup hose ;)
Nope! herald-tips-tricks.wikidot.com/miscellaneous:models-948-coupe-1200
Last edited by: Dog on Mon 23 Sep 13 at 22:55
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>>If I had to choose between driving my Subaru and driving a Herald, it would be a difficult choice.
It wouldn't be the second time.
Remember the MG 1300 GT? I drove it last week. Fun for about 30 seconds and then just plain awful.
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Mine had some sort of downdraft single choke carb like this one...
static.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/images/car-adverts/large/old/0170138001227617185.jpg?displayId=1002
I released another 0.0001hp with a foam and gauze aftermarket air filter... that produced a roar louder than the exhaust.... until I fitted a Peco silencer.
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>>static.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/images/car-adverts/large/old/0170138001227617185.jpg?displayId=1002
That image fills me with dread actually, I used to work on cars like that sometimes, outside in the gutter, in February, with an Easterly blow or hissing down with rain, happy days.
:-(
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>> that produced a roar louder than the exhaust.... until I fitted a Peco silencer.
The back silencer on my Vitesse was vulnerable to reversing knocks and the second time I had to replace it I took a critical look at the thing, bought a centre section (that had a small straight-through box), reversed it and found it fitted the sleeved joint perfectly. I had to cut it so it didn't stick out the rear too far. IIRC I cut it at an angle in the style of the day. It was a larger bore than the original tail pipe and resulted in a loud howl that resonated at certain revs. Because it was a smaller box, it was less prone to knocks and much cheaper.
Forty years later I complain about the noisy 'boy racer' exhausts!
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>>Remember the MG 1300 GT? I drove it last week. Fun for about 30 seconds and then just plain awful.
That was the sort-of car that could be a PITA to tune, in fact the very first car I tuned in New Cross, well, nearer Brockley really, was an Austin 1300 (not GT) in 1978, it took me from 8am 'til mid day!
My favourite cars to work on were the Fords of that era, and the Japs of course, easy to work on, blind folded and with one hand tied behind my back, same goes for the V6's too, and of course I always adjusted the tappets.
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Not all cars of the period were awful, just the small ones like Heralds and Morris Minors.
I drove in to work this morning in the Triumph 2000. It is effortless luxury. Comfy leather seats, so torquey there is hardly any need to change gear, a flick of the overdrive switch covers everything, and easily keeps up with traffic on my A-road route.
It's 0-60 time is probably half that of the Herald, and 50-70 all anyone would want in an ordinary car.
I remember driving a Triumph Vitesse years ago. The power of the big 6 in a Herald body half the weight with the nasty axle tricks was exiting but a bit frightening.
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Very nice Cliff, I take it that it's a mark 1 manual with overdrive, I tuned many mark 1's and mark 2's over the years
(the automatics were gutless!) and I wouldn't mind getting behind the wheel of one now but, I'd hurry back to my Subaru afterwards :)
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>> Very nice Cliff, I take it that it's a mark 1 manual with overdrive,
Yes, with the later 2500S engine.
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>>Yes, with the later 2500S engine.
You little devil you :)
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Anyone read the price of the 1961 tax disc in the story?
According to the Measuring Worth calculator £15 equates to £283.00 using the retail price index or £653.00 using average earnings.
So road tax these days for a lot of cars is cheaper in real terms.
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Yes, I thought that Chas. far cheaper in real terms I think. The tax disc for our Up! is just £20! If I'd spend an extra £400 on the bluemotion version I'd have saved that £20 ;-)
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My first new car, in 1971, was an MG 1300 (it wasn't called GT, although it had the same 70 bhp 1275cc engine as the Austin 1300GT). I had the choice, for the £1,000 in my budget, of a new MG 1300 or a nearly-new Vitesse. I chose the MG as I'd heard that the Vitesse could be a handful round corners - but I should have done more research as the later Vitesses were much safer than the early ones.
The MG had some major failures and on balance I think I should have gone for the Vitesse.
The Triumph 2000 was (is indeed) a lovely car which I always preferred to the Rover 2000. I never owned one and wish I had, especially the 2500S.
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My dad, around that time was trading in his Wolseley 6/110 at five years old and 65,000 miles as it had already started to rot terminally. He shortlisted and test drove a Triumph 2.5 PI, an Audi ( 100 I think ) and a Volvo 144.
In the end he went for the Volvo and stuck with those thereafter ( well, 240s anyway later on ) There were 4 or 5 of those consecutively on the drive until he retired when he bought a mildly second hand Van Den Plas 1300 auto as his retirement car. That was a mistake...heap of rubbish.
As a lad I had hoped he would go for the Triumph but it might well have proven unreliable. Apparently the PIs weren't wonderfully sound. The Volvos were pretty much faultless though.
The VDP was very nearly a Datsun ( Cherry maybe ) as the local Volvo dealer was also a Datsun dealer. Might have been a better choice but I think or want to remember anyway that they had rust issues too back then.
Might have been better in the long run to have kept his last 240. Perhaps it didn't stack up financially.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Tue 24 Sep 13 at 23:17
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Triumph never got the 2.5 PI to b reliable, and I think that was why they went back to carburetters for the 2500S. It was a Lucas injection system if I remember right, and they should probably have stuck to batteries.
It seems logical, doesn't it, to go, as Runfer senior did, for a smaller car on retirement. I had two test drives in a Golf GTI and loved it - yet another Octavia vRS estate, with the same engine, much more room and costing £3,000 less than a 5-door GTI, just makes much more sense - and unless one is a road tester worshipping on the altar of the twisty B-road, is just as good to drive.
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>>
>> It seems logical, doesn't it, to go, as Runfer senior did, for a smaller car
>> on retirement.
Why?
New hobbies, golf clubs, sailing clobber, perhaps more travelling, weekends away, DIY stuff to carry around.
Or are you thinking that sitting by the fire in your slippers all day doing nothing, you hardly need a car at all ? No need even for the weekly shop at Tesco thanks to meals-on-wheels.
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"Or are you thinking that sitting by the fire in your slippers all day doing nothing, you hardly need a car at all ? No need even for the weekly shop at Tesco thanks to meals-on-wheels. "
Indeed not Cliff - my point was that although it might seem logical it doesn't suit those of us who want an active retirement. Which is why I'm having another Octavia estate.
Sorry Mark (re post below) - no nostalgia for the MG 1300. Plenty for my first car, a much-loved Austin A50. I occasionally see a restored A50 going for 3 or 4 grand, and I'm tempted - but if I reallywanted a classic, a Vitesse convertible would be a lot more fun.
Last edited by: Avant on Wed 25 Sep 13 at 22:57
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>>no nostalgia for the MG 1300
Sadly I don't blame you.
On the one hand it seems a shame, and its in surprisingly good shape, and I'm usually pretty nostalgic about stuff anyway.
On the other hand it really is a nasty little thing to drive. So much so that my guilt about selling it for scrap went in the first 45 seconds of driving it.
Still, I didn't do much; I decided I wasn't that fussed about it, so topped up the oil and water, put some new petrol in and jumped it. Burned one set of jump leads (cheap set) put a real set on and it eventually fired; and after a bit of brutality it runs quite well.
The clutch needed dropping a couple of times and the brakes took a couple of smacks to get going, but other than four different (not new) tyres that was it, even the lights work (not the indicators though) - I don't know positively when it was last moved, but it probably wasn't in the last 15 or 20 years.
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>>>Triumph 2.5 PI, an Audi ( 100 I think ) and a Volvo 144.
Mr F snr had similar thoughts so bought a 2.5PI, then swapped for a Volvo 145E (both estates) and finally an Audi 100GL saloon. All new and over the period K/L/M reg. Somehow he added a new Granada 3lit auto Estate in that period too... I think between the Volvo and Audi.
I remember the comparisons well.
The 2.5PI elevated the smooth urgency of the 2000 into a really fast cross country car for the day. The Volvo was so well built with a large squared off loadspace but very austere. The Audi 100 was a such a nice car with an eager engine and fwd which made it like a huge comfy mini to drive. The Granada was close to XJ6 levels of ride refinement but a bit of a plastic barge and much cruder than the Audi.
Fun times.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 25 Sep 13 at 00:02
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>>My first new car, in 1971, was an MG 1300
You can have this one for the price of shipping it. Here I think its worth its weight in scrap and little more.
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My Dad had a green Herald estate. I think it came before a succession of Hunter estates and a Simca 1100.
For myself, I had a Spitfim (as we called them) in BRG. I put some lovely go faster stripes on it one Xmas when descending a snow & ice covered hill outside Keighley en route to the Turkey pub in the hamlet of Gooseye. I had several beers in an afternoon session to get over the shock then drove home.
Amazing what you got away with 40 years ago. These days I won't drink so much as a shandy if driving.
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>> I put some lovely go faster stripes on it one Xmas when descending a snow & ice covered hill outside Keighley en route to the Turkey pub in the hamlet of Gooseye
I was an irregular there in the mid 70s. It was a very ramshackle place and probably the first brewpub I ever went in.
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1961 Triumph Herald clocks up Twenty miles - L'escargot
