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Unusual Sightings and associated memories.
Last edited by: VxFan on Mon 9 Aug 10 at 18:59
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Really good example Hillman Super Minx estate in Harlow today, i had one many moons ago.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 30 Jun 10 at 00:29
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J reg fiat panda 1000 fire parked outside our local tesco, looked like it could have just driven off the forecourt, had a disposable seat cover on the drivers seat and baby seat in the front passenger seat.
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 30 Jun 10 at 00:29
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Four R reg'd cars parked outside of a little Coop in a Surrey village, I thought they'd all been scrapped for Kias and Hyundais ?
They were all very clean, new looking even, IIRC there was an Escort, a Scenic, a Punto and a Ka. They may all have been rotten underneath of course..... Supports my observation that people around here don't change their cars very often perhaps ?
Last edited by: VxFan on Wed 30 Jun 10 at 00:30
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..... Supports
>> my observation that people around here don't change their cars very often perhaps ?
>>
I'll offer a reason for that.
My home city (Nottingham) has a suburb called West Bridgford, familiar to all cricket fans as the home of Trent Bridge .
It was (and probably still is) known locally as "Bread and Lard Island", local legend having it that the inhabitants had such expensive mortgages on their posh houses that they all had to live on bread and lard!
It my well be that your shoppers are too poor to afford anything better!
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being a Leicester girl at heart, I remember it being called that HM:)
We used to go for wild nights out to Nottingham Locarno in a Robin Reliant that still had a kick start!
Pat
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You're showing your age girl. ;>)
The pedants here would point out there's never been a Robin Reliant, although there was a Reliant Robin! They certainly never had a kick-start. Imagine trying to get your leg in that little engine hatch.
Perhaps a Bond Microcar?
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In our local area We had a "Spam valley", They wern't daft, the houses are now worth a tidy sum with many new motors parked on the drive.
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static1.carsablanca.de/files/medias/filename/Reliant_Robin_Mr_Beans_Pickup_austin_Pick_up_big.jpg
On an Irish reg car transporter ( along with other cars) on the A1(M) just north of the M25.
I was not aware of this varienty.
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Must have been a Bond then:)
It didn't have a reverse gear and we had to get out and push it to turn it round, but to us it was just 'wheels' to get to the bright lights of Nottingham!
Blame it on the Alzheimers!
Pat
Last edited by: pda on Thu 1 Jul 10 at 05:23
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Saw an Audi 50 yesterday. Never even knew they existed. It looked the same as an early VW polo.
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Two today. A Renault 12, N plate in pristine condition runnig through Kislingbury Northants. Actually I think I saw it there on saturday as part of a historic vehicles display which usually features as part of the village fete so I suspect a hobby car.
Other was a beige (were they any other colour) Saab 95 V4 saloon on a K. This one motoring down Gordon Street in central London. Looked like somebody's everyday transport.
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In the same car - park, a very nice little Peugeot 306 softop, looked like a leather interior as well. A BRG MG R - shame they didn't make more of them.
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4 - yes 4 CC3s on the A55 yesterday, not seen that many before ! Morris 1000 on a local Denbighshire plate (Traveller) and a rare sight now a Austin Maestro.
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>>a rare sight now a Austin Maestro.
This one's usually parked here.
tinyurl.com/2u79gp3
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>> Saw an Audi 50 yesterday. Never even knew they existed. It looked the same as an early VW polo.
The Audi 50 actually came out 2 years before the Polo.
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In Eton High St. Saturday pm, a light blue Bugatti 35? Driven by a what looked like a 75 year old male dressed in period ' flying gear'. Looked as though he was struggling wit the steering at low speed.
It appeared to have a 'Bugatti Badge' on the radiator, but a sporting a 'N' registration from 1975 . Look a like? or a genuine rebuild?
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What did it sound like? Should have lots of grinding and gear whine at low speeds, and a characteristic ripping exhaust note at speed...
There are quite a few lookalike replicas with VW engines and so on, that won't stand up to close scrutiny. But there's an engineering nutter in Argentina who builds detailed replicas from the ground up, roller-bearing crankshaft, supercharger, the lot.
Won't cost as much as a real one, but not far off it I would think, gulp.
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why would anyone at a ripe old age want to struggle with crash gears flies in the teeth and no power steering
madness
come back mr traybus you were sane after all...........
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>> madness
In a way... but in another way anything but.
Type 35 was super-quick and driveable in its day and age bb. So rare though, like all Bugattis, that most people have hardly ever had a decent look at one let alone been in one or watched them driven in anger.
I'm sure you appreciate them really. Surely you like old traction and steam engines? What's the difference really between a Bugattist and a traction engine freak?
My wife says they are both 'desperately boring'. Not to me though, or you I bet when you aren't wearing your curmudgeon's Fiesta dealer hat...
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i would love to have a go in one but before i am 75 and struggling :-)
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>> why would anyone at a ripe old age want to struggle with crash gears flies
>> in the teeth and no power steering
For the very same reason that my all-time favourite Harley is my old 1942 WLA; side-valve, hand-change, foot clutch, 75mph downhill if you're lucky, and brakes in name only; but it's got one attribute that modern Harleys don't have.... soul.
Same thing applies to my old pick-up truck; in many ways it's totally impractical but I get such a buzz out of driving it that I'd be reluctant to part with the beast.
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>>>What did it sound like?<<<<
Sounded oldish with a rasping note, but if I was making a look a like with that amount of detail, I would make sure the exhaust was equipped with minimal silencing! I only heard it at low speed as it turned right from stationary. My initial instinct was that it was a look alike, but from a cursory inspection from the curbside, thefront suspension was not obviously from a BL or Triumph parts bin.
Somebody here must live close by - and with local knowledge? For the northerners I suppose I could call it South Slough, or North Windsor, but that would not tell the whole story!
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The home counties is where you might easily come across a real one getting a weekly or monthly bit of exercise. I've seen real Bugattis on the road quite a few times. Not many real 35s though.
Owning one of these cars is not for the faint-hearted or thin-walleted. But I think it very sympathetic of people, a good way to spend money. Quite a few stick them in a museum and let them congeal. One has to sympathise with a gung-ho spirit like that, mixing it with the home counties cud-chewers and mimsers...
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Out on the bike today, I passed a pre-war, open Frazer-Nash on the East Lancs Road.
Hood down and enjoying themselves.....as they should be !
Ted
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Guy down the road has bought a Mercedes 220 Cabriolet, late 50s version, W180 in Mercedes speak I believe. Seems to have been completely restored to as new condition with grey paintwork, white roof and red leather interior.
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There's an English guy not far from me here who owns a Teal - ie a Bugatti 35 look-alike. Upmarket owners built them from MGB bits, others used Morris Marinas. It has to be said they are quite convincing until you notice the disc brakes, etc. I saw another look-alike not long ago near here that was VW-based - with nothing under the bonnet. Weird.
The guy with the Teal got a bit shirty when I accidentally used the word 'fake' in front of him. He said 'no it isn't, it's a Teal'. Who was that bloke years ago who was the brilliant art copier/forger? It's a bit like saying you have a genuine one of his that just looks like a Van Gogh.
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Another Stag, this time much more up close and personal. A work colleage came in on Friday in his immaculate red 1977 example, complete with the correct, original, recently rebuilt 3.0 Triumph V8 under the bonnet, and completely original save for the stereo.
Mind you, the noise it makes renders the stereo irrelevant.
This is the only classic British car that I would really want to own. Except maybe a mkII Mini Cooper S.
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My next door neighb has some mighty fine classics now & again, check out the Hillman ~
www.brooklandsclassics.co.uk/forsale.php
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Two rolled into one - a likely looking BMW K100 RT on an A plate (1984) and a rider doing proper hand signals, absence of indicators may have been a factor.
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A "mature" silver haired lady wearing one of those pastel coloured, lightweight anoraks you see them in at the shops. Wearing a flowing skirt and with a couple of carrier bags.
How does that fit into a motoring unusual sightings?
She was zipping along astride a mud stained, properly used quad bike :-)
JH
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On the Welsh borders was it?
Sounds like friends of mine.
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When out this morning we saw what looked - from the back - like an 'ordinary' touring BMW bike or the like with panniers but at the front there were two small wheels, quite widely spaced, a bit like one of those forward control lawnmowers. It was carrying two people like a normal bike. Never seen anything quite like it and it looked nearly new. I think it had a UK plate. I'd Google for it but I wouldn't know what to call it.
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Seen a scooter, possibly Piaggio, with the twin wheel layout but not anything bigger.
edit www.piaggio-scooters.co.uk/uk/piaggio/mp3/125ie/default.aspx
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Thu 8 Jul 10 at 12:42
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Thanks for that but no, it isn't. Much bigger. I thought at first it was some sort of home-made trike but it looked far too much like a proper machine. And, of course, it was the wrong way round...
It looked more like this, but the front wheels were smaller, I think.
cgi.ebay.co.uk/190414715982
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Thu 8 Jul 10 at 13:19
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>>I'd Google for it but I wouldn't know what to call it.
Try " BMW reverse trike ".
You'll get lots of very interesting images but I can't see exactly what you describe.
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Yeah the Bombardier looks a bit more like it - we're getting there. The couple on it certainly looked as though they were touring, rather than testing a prototype.
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bt, Muker, Yorkshire dales.
JH
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Saw one of the old fashioned Mopeds on the A50 this evening. The mature lady rider was pedalling it - looked like hard work to me.
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Its old Ford day today.
1st a rust free Mk 2 Escort, white with vinyl roof. Unusual to see a non RS one of those.
2nd, a Y reg Mk 1 Fiesta, engine making that classic 'wasp in a biscuit tin' tone I remember from my youth.
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A DeLorean nonetheless! Under its own power, NBound on the M6 (around Keele I think) on Monday early evening.
Couldn't see any flux capacitors though....
Last edited by: Pugugly on Wed 14 Jul 10 at 22:47
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I saw one of these in Orlando (on a proper public road !) McFly license plate - missing rear quarterlight and some plant growth on the window surround - very original but a runner...
Last edited by: Pugugly on Wed 14 Jul 10 at 22:47
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A 10-reg (are they all?) Porsche Panamera 4S in Durham City.
Odd-looking beast.
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I've just seen another one! One of those mystery three-wheelers. This time it was stopped so I got a close look at it.
It's a Can-Am (presumably that's Bombardier) Spyder, 990cc. See here:
spyder.brp.com/en-GB/See/Can-Am/Showroom/Showroom-RS.htm
I still don't think it's the same as the first one I saw though...
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Mk1 Rally prepared Ford Escort on a 72 plate - nice looking car, sounded meaty enough to be a proper one.
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Interesting. Somewhat quad bike ish, which of course developed from a trike but with only one wheel at the front. I would hope that this one is less deadly.
JH
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About 12:30 today. Mini-roundabout at the junction of Church Lane and Basingstoke Road, Three Mile Cross nr. Reading.
A bright yellow Lamborghini Gallardo coming from my right, followed by a bright red Ferrari F430, followed by a blue Maserati Quattroporte driving in convoy.
A Top Gear challenge to see if they can negotiate the roadworks at M4 J11?
Kevin...
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Parked in the driveway of a house in a village not far from here on the Dordogne border: a shiny black Vauxhall Senator hearse on UK plates.
They're coming to get me...
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M56 within a few miles of each other this morning, a Peugeot RCZ and then a Lambo....The Pug looked rather svelte the Lambo sounded better.
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Triumph 2000 in Truro, BEL ---K
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A non-4x4 in the car park at the rather posh school my son goes to on a Saturday for swimming lessons. They hire the facility out to a swim coaching firm. Oh the car ? .....my old Mondy. I expect they think we are on some kind of bursary !
:-)
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sat 24 Jul 10 at 17:25
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or plain old fashioned wealthy....
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Heh heh ! Would that that were so !
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On my walk this morning, a very well looked after Metropolitan convertible in turquoise and white.
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Despite the modest housing in this neighbourhood there are a number of tasty motors, and often other ones that come to visit. One that was parked across the road yesterday was an Audi mid-engined V10 thingy, very flash with a vertical silver panel behind the door, a bit fussy aesthetically in my opinion.
But it sounded quite good when the guy drove it away. I wouldn't want one though, not looking like that and costing all that loot.
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I saw a convertible Audi sports thing today, nice car, why was the roof up though ?
Also saw three Honda DN01 motorcycles, most odd.
Last edited by: Pugugly on Sun 25 Jul 10 at 16:51
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I used to work for a bloke who had lots of dosh and long hair. ( Think Richard Gere but even seedier ) He bought himself a Porsche convertible and only ever drove it once with the lid off. At least he had the grace to admit that he didn't like what the windrush did to his barnet.
Twonk.
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Sun 25 Jul 10 at 16:56
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Heading along the M4 eastbound on Saturday morning, a genuine old-fashioned roof-rack atop some nameless hatchback. Well loaded with those large zip-up blue/white check bags so beloved of launderette users. A rare sight in the age of Thule roof-boxes.
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Facel Vega in a dark colour, something like a dark chocolate brown (the old Triumph colour Sienna maybe somewhere near), 4 door, with a webasto style sunroof.
I hadn't realised the front and back doors open from the centre out with no pillar, until I looked at some of the pictures on t'internet to try and confirm what I'd seen.
Probably it was an "Excellence". But why it should have number plates which are an anagram of a different Facel Vega model (FV2B), must be a jibe of some kind. Particularly as it's not in Askmid.
Parked up in the Midlands, not far from J4 M42.
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Phwoar...!!
Last edited by: Mike Hannon on Mon 26 Jul 10 at 09:40
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Just got back from the Flookburgh Steam fair with the caravan.
Lots of interesting stuff on the roads.
Acouple of hundred yards from home..a Jaguar parked in the village.
Not in itself unusual but a nice plate....L1 GLY with the first two close together ti make a U.
Ted
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A car trailer hooked onto a modern saloon ( of no paticular merit) but the trailer had fairly large black wire wheels. It looked home made but well constructed.
Never seen one of those before although it might be very loacl to me.
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Heading along the M4 yesterday, a Fiat 126, making remarkably good progress.
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Wartburg estate in mucky white doing a fair lick on the A14 on an old K reg so Im guessing early 70's. Wasnt smoking but my god it was screaming when it flew past me.
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>>Wartburg estate in mucky white doing a fair lick on the A14<<
Probably had a transplant, did it actually sound like a two stroke?
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They only smoked when they were cold and with the choke out. Well, mine did anyway.
If it was screaming it probably had the original two-stroke three-cylinder motor. I always thought it was a lovely noise - the works rally cars sounded even better.
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It sounded like a harder edged 2CV but with an additional wail. I followed it for about 5 miles and its exhaust smelt decidedly oily so I imagine it was original.
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>>its exhaust smelt decidedly oily
Pity it wasn't burning R. ;>)
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Seen at Pease Pottage services earlier on when I was filling the bike up - lime green '71 Plymouth Road Runner. Owner said the engine was 8.2 litres, which suggests it had been dealt with somewhat - I thought the largest engine fitted by the factory was 440 CID which is around the 7.2 mark. Whichever, it made an inherently right noise as it accelerated out of the service area.
It did quite amuse me that the cubic capacity of each cylinder was something in the order of one and a half times the capacity of my bike's entire engine...
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Parked in the village this morning....rarer than a Koenigseggy thing.
A black Maestro van...L reg with towbar and full roofrack.
Ted
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A 6ft plus blond police woman in my local Co-op. She was having a joke with one of the lads in there about the alternative 'uses' for a French Stick. Nice to see the human side and that they arent all self-important miseries.
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A 1952 Magirus Deutz fire engine, presumably with the legendary air-cooled V8 diesel under the bonnet, converted into a motor caravan. Tasty.
www.franco-oldtimers.com/forum/index.php?topic=1201.0
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Rover P6 Estoura. I never knew they made one. Looked most inelegant.
tinyurl.com/36reab3
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Friend of mine had onje. Got a tug on the Crescent in Salford 'cos they thought he was overloaded . Only had some bulky but light plywood club displays in it.
Got fined....he was annoyed but didn't bother fighting.
Ted
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Ted, were you at the Woodvale Rally today? There was a lovely Jowett Javelin there. If it was you, apologies for not coming to say hello, but I was keeping a close eye on Mrs B as she headed towards the craft tent with what can only be described as great purpose.
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>>Mrs B as she headed towards the craft tent
Malice intent?
I'll get me coat.
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>> I'll get me coat.
Would you mind? Thanks awfully... ;-)
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Proper car that Rover. Someone had foresight. I think one of the biggest omissions was the lack of an 800 series estate. At that time Volvo were cleaning up that market at the semi-premium end.
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Proper car that Rover
>
>>>you must have strange thoughts in that case if that looks proper to you as the shape is just all wrong,i would have shot the bloke that could design that or make him red robbos partner on the bandstand
i guess with a design like that its one of the reasons rover have gone on to great things
thought for the day
maybe rovers should have stuck to push irons?
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Wasn't that P6 van thing a Crayford conversion, i seem to recall seeing one or two in the day when i lived not far from Westerham.
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Thanks Henry.
edit.
"Due to the sloping roofline, the rear door is very low and very small; I am 6'2" tall, and the tailgate is open fully at about the level of my chest! Loadspace is also compromised for the same reason. And they were even more rot-prone than the standard P6 because the conversion was, quite frankly, a bit of a lash-up! The rear pod unit is basically held onto the base unit with pop rivets, and when the cars were cut for conversion, no paint or other rustproofing was applied to the bare edges. The rear pod was also fitted on top of the boot drain channels, effectively blocking them and redirecting the water to places it was never intended to go."
sounds like a Longbridge jobbie
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sat 7 Aug 10 at 14:55
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so its just my estate you dont like the look of then humph?
I am quite hurt, I know mine is no looker, but its better looking than that abortion.
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In Rosebery Avenue early this afternoon, a Grand Cherokee, I think - something very similar looking anyway -, a new one, going like the clappers.
The unusual thing was the noise it was making: a sort of hissing whine, with no underlying V8 beat that I could hear. Could have been an engine-driven supercharger, or perhaps it was running on LPG or was some sort of hybrid.
Does anyone know anything about these? Even my wife noticed it was making an unusual noise.
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If you think the Rover P6 estate is an abortion you should see the XJ6 estate conversion! Whereas, of course, the Lynx Eventer XJS estate is a thing of beauty...
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>> If you think the Rover P6 estate is an abortion you should see the XJ6
>> estate conversion!
www.aronline.co.uk/index.htm?xj4indexf.htm
>> Whereas, of course, the Lynx Eventer XJS estate is a thing of beauty...
www.jaguar-addict.co.uk/acatalog/Jaguar-XJS-Lynx-Eventer.html
Hmm, not pretty is it.
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Hurt feelings ? You Z ? Blimey !
:-)
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They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder
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A bit better ? What a lot to choose from !
www.stationwagonforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8209
If you thought some were bad wait til you get to the XK150
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the Factory XJ40 Estate prototype looks a beaut
a bit like a modern day grandada
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Fascinating - many thanks for that, Henry. Agreed, the XJ40 estate looks good, but the XK150 with the back end of a Morris Minor Traveller grafted on - oh dear! Worse than even Ssangyong can do.
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Humph, you are a man of good taste and know a good estate when you see it
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9l3vnekgDI&feature=related
The waggon queen family truckster.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTaTitRENDM
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Ye Gods ! That's even worse than Stu's new car !
:-)
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check the rear lights, I think I know where they got the styling ideas from.
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OK, I've looked again but it's not ringing any bells. Clue needed please !
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never mind, the moment is lost.
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Coming back from Bath on Thursday, found my mirror full of scarlet Ferrari 360. Actually he was quite patient, and waited until a bit of dual carriageway before blasting past.
Then half a mile up the road, got in a queue of traffic going slowly up a hill. Saw a puff of smoke in the distance, and the queue speeded up. Just over the brow of the hill, all became clear - an old steam lorry was taking a breather in a layby.
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Not me at Woodvale, Rob. Although I have been in past times with the car.
I don't seem to do that many shows now. A couple of Tatton Parks, Flixton and Astle Park perhaps. Didn't book any except Didsbury this year as I didn't know how the car would behave and 2 miles seemed about right for the new engine's debut.
Keep them away from the craft tents, I say. For Craft read Tat !
Ted
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>> Keep them away from the craft tents, I say. For Craft read Tat !
You're not wrong Ted. The craft tent was situated right next to where the shuttle buses were parked so I bravely left Mrs B to her own devices to have a shufti at the buses, including one that I used to drive in service. She came out of the tent with only a bag of fudge so I think I got off lightly. Until the lorry arrives with the full set of garden furniture or somesuch....
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>Saw a puff of smoke in the distance, and the queue speeded up. Just over the brow of the hill, all became clear - an old steam lorry was taking a breather in a layby. <
That's one of the things about the UK I miss - there's always something interesting out and about.
Having said that, I was walking the foster-dog yesterday evening when, not 500m from our house, I heard what I thought was a familiar noise. Seconds later I was passed by a bright yellow LHD Daimler Dart (SP250). Looked lovely and sounded brilliant.
Even the dog smiled, I think...
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Unusual Sightings Volume Five.... - -
