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For those interested in old cars.


DDolfelin
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24 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Our 1972 Mk3 “S” was registered by some Lord of something, I think it was Lichfield.

Patrick Anson, presumably, Lord Lichfield from 1960 until he died in 2005. One of the best portrait photographers of his generation, taking numerous formal pics of HM Queen and others. Ancestral home Shugborough Hall, now NationalTrust, visible from the WCML, where a friend of Sherry's worked. When Elaine had breast cancer, and subsequently raised funds for a research charity, he was happy for the local paper to carry a promo pic of him with her. Seemed a decent type. 

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1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Patrick Anson, presumably, Lord Lichfield from 1960 until he died in 2005. One of the best portrait photographers of his generation, taking numerous formal pics of HM Queen and others. Ancestral home Shugborough Hall, now NationalTrust, visible from the WCML, where a friend of Sherry's worked. When Elaine had breast cancer, and subsequently raised funds for a research charity, he was happy for the local paper to carry a promo pic of him with her. Seemed a decent type. 

 

Appropriately enough Lord L allowed the British Mini Club to host a vary large Mini show in the grounds back in '94, a very pleasant day was had by all (I must dig the photos out). As well as a very early E-Type he had at least a couple of Mk1 Minis before the Cooper S came along. Just south of Shugborough Tunnel is a lovely ornate stone bridge and on top of the tunnel itself is a rather fine looking decorated archway.

 

In an odd sort of way I've always liked the rather plain appearance of the MK3 S, there was very little decoration on them at all compared to the Mk1s and 2s and almost all of them left the factory in plain monotone colours. Aside from the standard 3.5'' drilled steel wheels (the 4.5'' rims were an option), the bootlid badge and the r/hand fuel tank they are exactly the same on the outside as the Mk3 Mini 1000, on the inside the only distinguishing features are the black vinyl covered top dash rail and the 130mph speedo.... this Bronze Yellow example used to belong to a mate and is one of only two which were featured in the motoring press when the model was launched, hardly anyone paid any attention to them during the sixteen month period they were made, of the 1570 built around 400 are on the Cooper Register's books, most of them here in the UK which is pretty good considering only 792 were sold here....

 

 

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Edited by Rugd1022
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3 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

The '69 W&P Mk2 Cooper S I've been lusting after for years has popped up for sale again, at a fiver short of £70k it's a bit bonkers but with history from day one and some choice rock star connections it's quite the period piece...

 

Edit : I've just checked the dealer's website and it's sold...!

 

 

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Sloppy and slightly misleading reportage, I would hardly call August to December 1969 to be a part of the swinging sixties?

 

Mike.

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1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

Patrick Anson, presumably, Lord Lichfield from 1960 until he died in 2005. One of the best portrait photographers of his generation, taking numerous formal pics of HM Queen and others. Ancestral home Shugborough Hall, now NationalTrust, visible from the WCML, where a friend of Sherry's worked. When Elaine had breast cancer, and subsequently raised funds for a research charity, he was happy for the local paper to carry a promo pic of him with her. Seemed a decent type. 

To be honest I really cannot remember the name on the previous owners stuff, I wrote that and then realised who it was :lol: we have been to Shugborough Hall to see PL pictures and stuff (being in the biz it was very interesting to see he kept the same year planner as a I used on the wall, except his had places like Barbados, Canne, Delhi all over it, mine had Millbrook, Lommel, Halewood etc on it :lol:)

 

I never knew he was aMini fan though, interesting.

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13 minutes ago, Kingzance said:

I seem to recollect that Patrick Litchfield shot some of the Famous Pirelli Calendars. Am I correct or just senile?

He shot an awful lot of them if you ever go to Shugborough Hall you can see some of them there and pics that were not included, also the wall planner I was talking about with reference to the Pirelli Calender shoots.........

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If they've got any sense it won't be on. Leaving it on in a situation like that is guaranteed to have the rear brakes locked/seized if left for any time. I never leave mine on when parked on the drive over the winter.

Edited by Hobby
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9 minutes ago, chriswright03 said:

Looks like the handbrake isn't very good.

 The driveway is quite steep.  The chocks will be sensible belt-&-braces security. I do the same...Nothing worse than finding a knock on the door at early o'clock, telling you one's motor has rolled out of the driveway into a passing vehicle?

 

Just because one's handbrake happened to give up? Or one did not apply it fully?  Especially important if the car is a Rover 800 series? [Who's hand brakes were known to be on, yet not, so to speak?].......

Also, I agree with Blair, if actually not using the machine for some time, best not to leave handbrake applied...but left in gear, wheel chocks, etc...plus perhaps a bit of steering lock [not too much, don't want to stress-form the front tyres, do we?]....so that the motor will...if it does roll, roll into next door's drive instead? No accounting for naughty neighbours' midnight antics?

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29 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 Nothing worse than finding a knock on the door at early o'clock, telling you one's motor has rolled out of the driveway into a passing vehicle?

 

A friend of mine had exactly that, though luckily his didn't hit anything, just stopped in the middle of the road. Ever since I heard that I've always parked my cars in an uphill gear (first if facing uphill or level, reverse if facing downhill)...

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54 minutes ago, chriswright03 said:

Looks like the handbrake isn't very good.

My driveway is slightly steeper than the one in the pic. I allways leave my car in gear on the driveway. Another thing I do is reverse on, which we all should do as it is far safer.

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26 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

My driveway is slightly steeper than the one in the pic. I allways leave my car in gear on the driveway. Another thing I do is reverse on, which we all should do as it is far safer.

Winter before last my Son parked his Fiesta as normal on their very steep drive, about three in the morning there was a honking and tooting outside, the Fiesta was in the middle of the road, nothing wrong with the handbrake, in fact that’s what stopped it when it hit warmer tarmac, the steep drive was complete sheet ice, the car had slid in the ice as it froze under the wheels as it had rained late night before it started to freeze!

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5 hours ago, steve1 said:

Saabs can only be parked with reverse gear engaged. You can’t get the key out otherwise.  Probably just well as the handbrakes on the ones I had weren’t wonderful.

 

steve

Still a dumb place for the ignition switch though, catches so many tyre kickers out :lol:

 

Before Vauxhall got hold of SAAB they were probably at the pinnacle of vehicle engineering, very good cars.

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5 hours ago, steve1 said:

Saabs can only be parked with reverse gear engaged. You can’t get the key out otherwise.  Probably just well as the handbrakes on the ones I had weren’t wonderful.

 

steve

Didn't half cause a panic on the car behind when loading them on to Shuttles. The following driver would slam on the brakes; if you were lucky, the cars behind weren't tailgating.

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I'm not sure if it qualifies as old enough, but i drove this 1998 Fiat Coupe 2.0L 20V na for a couple of years (2015 -2017) after my knees got really bad and I had to sell my VFR800. It was lovely to drive, sounded great and turned heads. It was also a bit of a money pit and eventually when something went in the drivetrain a year after having the gearbox rebuilt my wife called time on my mid life crisis and it was sold on eBay for £400. (I paid £900 for it and put about £1500 into it). I still miss it :(

IMG_20160527_215503.jpg

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3 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Still a dumb place for the ignition switch though, catches so many tyre kickers out :lol:

 

Before Vauxhall got hold of SAAB they were probably at the pinnacle of vehicle engineering, very good cars.

 

I disagree about the key. I found it a much more sensible place. It fell easily to hand and was more ergonomically placed. Plus, the scrotes who nick cars by jemmying the key barrel can’t get at it anywhere near as readily. 

 

Do agree about them being great cars though...

 

steve

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