royaloak Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 As the owner of a Fiat Panda and three Puntos previously,the city setting on the power steering cuts out around 30 mph. I've always left it on the city setting without any problems. After a week driving my brother in laws Mercedes 320 CLK on holiday my arms now feel like Popeyes! What a joy to get back into my Panda,so responsive and easy to drive. I had a Fiat Punto and the power steering packed in (a very common fault) and the steering wasnt exactly light afterwards although it was still driveable although the other half didnt think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Seen on today's hack through Chenies village: Naturally, this is at one of the pubs we often stop at.... As the owner of a Fiat Panda and three Puntos previously,the city setting on the power steering cuts out around 30 mph. I've always left it on the city setting without any problems..... Not what I found. After realising that it was still on and working at 70mph on the M4 out of Dublin, I only ever switched it on for parking manoeuvres thereafter. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RANGERS Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I passed an Austin Cambridge A60 with a taxi sign on the roof on the A142 near March this afternoon, unfortunately it was heading in the opposite direction to me and I couldn't get a pic or even a decent look. It wasn't in pristine order, it looked more like taxis of the 1960s/ 70s did and one thing I did spot in the mirror was what looked like a hackney plate on the back of it. I'm curious about it, has anyone in the low country out there seen it or know anything about it? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 (edited) I drove Austin Cambridge taxies in the mid 60's as a part time job. Classed as a spare driver I took out any car not in use. The trick was to look at the dash board at the pull out knob next to the ignition key. If it said "choke" on it, it was petrol powered. If it said "stop" I had a diesel. A diesel, when very hot, would throw sparks out of the exhaust pipe, so the order of the day was, drive slowish! Also, when finishing my shift with a diesel, I had several times, turned off the ignition, got out and on locking the door, realised it was still running! Edited October 15, 2017 by Judge Dread 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJS1977 Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Seen on today's hack through Chenies village: IMG_20171015_135345.jpg They're a surprisingly common sight these days as catering vehicles - there's one often parked outside Paddington Hammersmith & City station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 They're a surprisingly common sight these days as catering vehicles - there's one often parked outside Paddington Hammersmith & City station. Near my office is a 1978 Renault Estafette, owned by Sfornato, the sandwich makers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 They're a surprisingly common sight these days as catering vehicles - there's one often parked outside Paddington Hammersmith & City station. Three more parked in a "street food oasis" at South Quay Walk, Canary Wharf, when we were there in the summer. The catering equivalent of a VW camper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve1 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Spotted yesterday but whilst driving, a Volvo PV544. Not seen one for ages. This one looked in 'daily driver' condition. steve 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Three more parked in a "street food oasis" at South Quay Walk, Canary Wharf, when we were there in the summer. The catering equivalent of a VW camper? Are they making replica's of them? There were three or four in a street market in Camberley a month or so back, and in the IPMS ScaleModelworld show for the last couple of years they seem to have the food concessions sown up, with about another 4 of the things inside & outside the exhibition halls. I'll keep a look out for how many are there this year next month! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Spotted yesterday but whilst driving, a Volvo PV544. Not seen one for ages. This one looked in 'daily driver' condition. steve Reminds me I saw a P1800 when visiting Daughter & family in Hampshire last month. Absolutely gorgeous in very shiny black - think it was a show car rather than a daily! But last week, taking my son's dogs to the kennels on Gower, all driving in the pouring rain, saw what looked like three 'dailys' - D reg Capri, Hillman Hunter & a Moggie convertible - hood up!! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Are they making replica's of them?.... The Citroen H / HY vans were marketed mostly in France and the Low Countries, so would have been all LHD. These are the ones that have been brought into the UK and tarted up. Never seen one in RHD - do any exist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium petethemole Posted October 16, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 16, 2017 I saw a red P1800 in Southampton the other day and while waiting for a bus on the A27 on Friday I was passed within about two minutes by a Model T open tourer of c1910+ vintage and a very clean Wolseley 1500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I passed an Austin Cambridge A60 with a taxi sign on the roof on the A142 near March this afternoon, unfortunately it was heading in the opposite direction to me and I couldn't get a pic or even a decent look. It wasn't in pristine order, it looked more like taxis of the 1960s/ 70s did and one thing I did spot in the mirror was what looked like a hackney plate on the back of it. I'm curious about it, has anyone in the low country out there seen it or know anything about it? Might be a car used for film work. I noticed an Oxbridge taxi in episode 2 of Endeavour which was on TV the other night, and I'm pretty sure I've seen it, or something very like it, in other 1960s setting dramas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 In the past I've owned more than my fair share of Citroens yet to this day cannot understand what made me buy any of them. All were made out of soup cans. They rusted before your very eyes. Would never start on damp, cold mornings. Would never start on any morning period. Trim fell off faster than you could stick it back on and, where the hydraulic suspension models were concerned, the cheapest cure for any suspension failure was to tow it to the nearest scrap yard. But OMG, those looks. Simply magnificent. Oh, and if you want a really superb car for peanuts with unrivaled comfort and individualistic looks, then go buy a Citroen Maserati and smile - the last flagship model Citroen ever made due to dismal almost non existant sales figures and now they can't give 'em away. Oh. and never, ever forget the legendary and truly magnificent classic DS series and, in particular, the DS 23 Pallas with its directional headlights that turned with the steering ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr2 Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 The Citroen H / HY vans were marketed mostly in France and the Low Countries, so would have been all LHD. These are the ones that have been brought into the UK and tarted up. Never seen one in RHD - do any exist? TBH, never looked closely enough to see if any were RHD - I'll look next time I see one! Seem to be an awful lot of survivors (for Citroens - as per Allan's post above!) with all the ones being converted to catering vans. Watched one of the ubiquitous 'motoring' programs on some satellite channel the other day - the normal thing, geezer buys 'thing'. another geezer does it up, & geezer #1 sells it for a vast profit. They bought a H van - put it up on the ramp & the whole rear floor fell out! Ended up having to make a complete new rear chassis & floor - and not such a huge profit! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolseley Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I didn't notice it before or even when I took the photograph (it's in Parramatta, in Western Sydney), but this one is LHD too: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted October 16, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 16, 2017 There is a gutted one near me used as an ice cream kiosk. Looks quite sad as there appears to be no engine or anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 .....if you want a really superb car for peanuts with unrivaled comfort and individualistic looks, then go buy a Citroen Maserati and smile - the last flagship model Citroen ever made due to dismal almost non existant sales figures and now they can't give 'em away. Not sure about "giving them away" - the SM regularly pops up now with £30,000+ price tags. At least 20 cars have been expensively converted to RHD in Australia. The fuel crisis didn't help sales of big / thirsty cars, and the SM certainly suffered in that regard. There are stories that Citroen took a somewhat Stalinist approach to its production history and went about destroying stocks of SM spare parts so it would not have to bear the expense of storing them or providing support for SM owners. Much the same thing happened with the GS Birotor - Citroen bought back as many of the 847 cars sold in order to scrap them, and also withdrew spares support. .....legendary and truly magnificent classic DS series and, in particular, the DS 23 Pallas with its directional headlights that turned with the steering ! All DSs from 1967 onwards had directional headlights. However, the lower-spec "D Special" and "D Super" ones may not have been equipped with them as standard. The DS23 eventually had fuel injection and lasted to the end of production in 1975, by which time the CX had been in production for a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allan downes Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Leaving Citroens aside to gently rust away into obscurity, did anyone here ever own an Armstrong Syddley ? Magnificent beasts to say the least and in the 60's you could pick a used one up in fairly good nick for the price of a beat up old Ford Anglia van which meant I ended up with two. They were powered by a magnificent 3.5 liter straight six engine with cross flow head and a real joy to work on due to precision engineering and a straight foreward, no nonsense design. The gearbox was pre select and electronically controlled thus allowing for silk smooth changes throughout the range and, inspite of it weighing in at almost two tones you could, with a light right foot, achieve 30mpg and flooring it would rack it up 120 mph effortlessly and seemingly with no exertion whatsoever. The interior was wall to wall leather and walnut complemented by almost silent running and a regal, bump free ride. Now, or so I heard, is that the mechanicals were so robust and well engineered that no one hardly ever needed to buy spares so Armstrong Syddley finaly ceased production and sold the design rights of its engine to Rootes who shrank it to 3 liters, shortened the stroke and fitted it into the Humber Super Snipe. Only wish I still had mine... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Leaving Citroens aside to gently rust away into obscurity, did anyone here ever own an Armstrong Syddley ? Magnificent beasts to say the least and in the 60's you could pick a used one up in fairly good nick for the price of a beat up old Ford Anglia van which meant I ended up with two. They were powered by a magnificent 3.5 liter straight six engine with cross flow head and a real joy to work on due to precision engineering and a straight foreward, no nonsense design. The gearbox was pre select and electronically controlled thus allowing for silk smooth changes throughout the range and, inspite of it weighing in at almost two tones you could, with a light right foot, achieve 30mpg and flooring it would rack it up 120 mph effortlessly and seemingly with no exertion whatsoever..... Which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jol Wilkinson Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 Leaving Citroens aside to gently rust away into obscurity, did anyone here ever own an Armstrong Syddley ? Magnificent beasts to say the least and in the 60's you could pick a used one up in fairly good nick for the price of a beat up old Ford Anglia van which meant I ended up with two. They were powered by a magnificent 3.5 liter straight six engine with cross flow head and a real joy to work on due to precision engineering and a straight foreward, no nonsense design. The gearbox was pre select and electronically controlled thus allowing for silk smooth changes throughout the range and, inspite of it weighing in at almost two tones you could, with a light right foot, achieve 30mpg and flooring it would rack it up 120 mph effortlessly and seemingly with no exertion whatsoever. The interior was wall to wall leather and walnut complemented by almost silent running and a regal, bump free ride. Now, or so I heard, is that the mechanicals were so robust and well engineered that no one hardly ever needed to buy spares so Armstrong Syddley finaly ceased production and sold the design rights of its engine to Rootes who shrank it to 3 liters, shortened the stroke and fitted it into the Humber Super Snipe. Only wish I still had mine... George Nutt, who ran the grocery and a small property empire in Dunchurch, Warwickshire had one. I remember seeing it daily as as a child and thinking how superior it was to my uncle's Rover. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judge Dread Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 (edited) Let's still talk about rusty Citroens please, mainly because I have a 1.8 diesel Berlingo van which is rusting away. I found this photo I took in 1987 at a secret location in France and I thought Horsetan may like it. Edited October 17, 2017 by Judge Dread 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 I passed an Austin Cambridge A60 with a taxi sign on the roof on the A142 near March this afternoon, unfortunately it was heading in the opposite direction to me and I couldn't get a pic or even a decent look. It wasn't in pristine order, it looked more like taxis of the 1960s/ 70s did and one thing I did spot in the mirror was what looked like a hackney plate on the back of it. I'm curious about it, has anyone in the low country out there seen it or know anything about it? I know this one! (I live just down the road in Chatteris). I've seen this 2 or 3 times on the local roads, but only at the time of the local steam fair in Ramsey or March (the site moved a couple of years ago). I suspect it may be a classic rather than a real cab? I have a photo at home, I'll try and post it tomorrow. Stewart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BernardTPM Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 The Citroen H / HY vans were marketed mostly in France and the Low Countries, so would have been all LHD. These are the ones that have been brought into the UK and tarted up. Never seen one in RHD - do any exist? Hopefully not. Let's have some Bedford CAs and Morris LDs instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 (edited) Let's still talk about rusty Citroens please, mainly because I have a 1.8 diesel Berlingo van which is rusting away. I found this photo I took in 1987 at a secret location in France and I though Horsetan may like it. My view of the bridge.jpg It's a Series 1. Chrome bumpers, mirrors and bathroom scales instruments. Incidentally, there is a brief interview with its designer Robert Opron in the current issue of Octane magazine. He's in his eighties now. Edited October 16, 2017 by Horsetan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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