>> >> The Mk1 Cavalier was one of my all time favourite designs (I did own
>> one too)
>>
>> I didn't think it was a very good looking car..........
>>
My Chevette was followed by a red 1600 mk1 Cavalier. I thought it was a good looking car, and, having just perused some of my pictures, I still do.
It was the 2-door saloon though (not the coupé that I think was only available later), and that certainly improved the lines from the side. It did me several trips to the Austrian/German alps best part of 40 years ago, and generally elicited some interest, and comments like "It's an Ascona with a body kit" (which, of course......).
That was one of the cars I owned of which I still have fond memories, but it was disposed of when it was hit twice in the space of a week (neither of them my fault), and the subsequent repairs were less than top-notch.
The second incident was someone changing lanes into the side in his own work's van - and he immediately held his hand up.
The first was the type of engagement with the police the like of which you rarely get nowadays, and resulted in the other driver being jailed!. I was clipped quite hard by a car-trailer being pulled by an old and anonymous BMC van which pulled out of a side street and across me whilst I was in a queue of traffic (I'd left space). He knew he'd done it, and absolutely floored it in the other direction. Luckily, I had captured the number as it disappeared. The ensuing engagement with the police would fill a book, but someone was tenacious enough to trace the 'van through several unrecorded changes of ownership to a back-street repair shop, which was using it to ferry cars around. I was eventually contacted some good few weeks later by the "case-officer" late one evening (he waltzed his way in to watch the football highlights for about half an hour before heading off-duty), informed they had identified the driver, who was "known" to them (for GBH). The garage owner (naturally) denied all knowledge that the miscreant was driving, so he was done for TWOC, careless (or dangerous) driving, failing to stop, no licence, no insurance, etc. (and as it would appear he was out on licence, or the then equivalent, for GBH was returned to jail!). He must have 'fessed up, though, as I was informed of this quite a bit later, but was never a part of any proceedings.
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