For those interested in old cars.

[stewartingram]

1 hour ago, Oldddudders said:

I have a feeling a late friend passed his driving test - at 17 - in a Bradford van. This was in 1965, and the van was not in great nick, but pre-MOT of course. They thought putting in a seat for the examiner might help. 

The MoT started in 1960.

 

Stewart

[Oldddudders]

Just now, stewartingram said:

The MoT started in 1960.

 

Stewart

Really? Oh, well. The van was a heap, by all accounts. 

[runs as required]

1 hour ago, russ p said:

 

It was a picture of Sheffield in the 70s with lots of period vehicles visible 

So the Midland station not Vic (by date, being pedantic).

[Enterprisingwestern]

3 minutes ago, runs as required said:

So the Midland station not Vic (by date, being pedantic).

 

Not necessarily Mon bràve.

Being even more pedanticer, and not having seen the photo either which doesn't help, but, it could have been Victoria with a 114 on a Huddersfield train and the cars on the Royal Victoria hotel frontage.

 

Mike.

[tom q vaxy]

https://silodrome.com/tatra-t87/

[russ p]

No it was Midland,  TBH can't remember the details now but was good

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, stewartingram said:

The MoT started in 1960.

 

Stewart

 

2 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

Really? Oh, well. The van was a heap, by all accounts. 

The test at first only applied to cars, not to commercial vehicles that were only required to take the test after 1962.

[alastairq]

I have to admit, I wouldn't say 'no' to a Jowett Bradford.....or one of the pre-wawer cars either.

 

There is something really anti-ego about small horsepower, 2 cylinder propulsion..it's not how fast one can drive up the hill, merely about being able to get up  in the first place....which a Jowett would nearly always do, when others fell by the wayside.

Mind, I've always felt one needs no more than around 100 BHP maximum , to make fairly good progress on today's  [pre-covid] UK roads...anything more really is overkill....but it's a lot more fun to keep pace with Bhp in the low 20's or 30's...

[boxbrownie]

And a big reason we loved our 2CVs so much, to keep progress up and stay with faster traffic you had to practice what the French called flow driving, read ahead and keep moving, preferably as fast as you can.....and is reasonable safe to do so 

[Northmoor]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

And a big reason we loved our 2CVs so much, to keep progress up and stay with faster traffic you had to practice what the French called flow driving, read ahead and keep moving, preferably as fast as you can.....and is reasonable safe to do so 

Exactly what HGV drivers are taught, momentum is everything.

One day dad will resurrect our 1949 side-valve Minor, a car that makes a 2CV seem quick.

[Richard E]

 

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

And a big reason we loved our 2CVs so much, to keep progress up and stay with faster traffic you had to practice what the French called flow driving, read ahead and keep moving, preferably as fast as you can.....and is reasonable safe to do so 

 

This is something that competing on road rallies in the 1970's taught me. I was running a 1300 Mk1 Escort up against much more powerful cars so being smooth and keeping the momentum up was the secret to good results.

 

It pays off when one can practice it in modern traffic as economy benefits. Unfortunately some of the time if you do read the road ahead and slow in anticipation some twit (amend as you feel appropriate) will nip into the gap created ...

 

[PhilJ W]

That is allways a problem in todays traffic. If you leave enough space for a safe braking distance someone will take advantage and dive into the gap.

[MJI]

2 hours ago, alastairq said:

I have to admit, I wouldn't say 'no' to a Jowett Bradford.....or one of the pre-wawer cars either.

 

There is something really anti-ego about small horsepower, 2 cylinder propulsion..it's not how fast one can drive up the hill, merely about being able to get up  in the first place....which a Jowett would nearly always do, when others fell by the wayside.

Mind, I've always felt one needs no more than around 100 BHP maximum , to make fairly good progress on today's  [pre-covid] UK roads...anything more really is overkill....but it's a lot more fun to keep pace with Bhp in the low 20's or 30's...

 

I think the main enemy of low power is weight. 100bhp with 900kg is quite fast.

 

As to power in 20s and 30s - OK on a bike.

 

Even the 40something 1l cars I always felt had to be thrashed everywhere.

[MJI]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

And a big reason we loved our 2CVs so much, to keep progress up and stay with faster traffic you had to practice what the French called flow driving, read ahead and keep moving, preferably as fast as you can.....and is reasonable safe to do so 

 

I don't get the fascination with the slowness of these, I have been a passenger but I was shocked, and at the time I was used to passengering in Reliants and Beetles. It was like a moped in car form.

 

 

[MJI]

14 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

That is allways a problem in todays traffic. If you leave enough space for a safe braking distance someone will take advantage and dive into the gap.

 

Even if vehicle leaving big gap is larger than them.

 

Mind you my worst was passing a side road on my left with a car waiting, and it car pulled out alongside me, on my inside, only saw them when they nearly hit a parked car I was passing, mind you if I had seen them there was little I could do anyway.

 

I was doing about 20 due to parked car on corner.

[boxbrownie]

29 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

That is allways a problem in todays traffic. If you leave enough space for a safe braking distance someone will take advantage and dive into the gap.

They are probably practicing flow driving 

[boxbrownie]

19 minutes ago, MJI said:

 

I don't get the fascination with the slowness of these, I have been a passenger but I was shocked, and at the time I was used to passengering in Reliants and Beetles. It was like a moped in car form.

 

 

But that’s the point, they are only slow in acceleration.......which is a marginal time in a journey overall, I commuted for five years on and off (alternating with a Sierra 2.9) and frankly the 2CV was much more fun along the mixed country roads to work, and far better in the winter, but bloody cold though!

 

I suppose it depends upon your driving pleasure priorities.

[MJI]

7 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

But that’s the point, they are only slow in acceleration.......which is a marginal time in a journey overall, I commuted for five years on and off (alternating with a Sierra 2.9) and frankly the 2CV was much more fun along the mixed country roads to work, and far better in the winter, but bloody cold though!

 

I suppose it depends upon your driving pleasure priorities.

 

I currently (not at moment) commute in a 4x4 slow top end but decent acceleration. (Around 10sec to 60).

 

It loves winter especially ice and snow. But no fun in wet as it weighs over 2 ton.

 

As to handling, probably one of the best handling live axle 4x4s ever.

 

I will admit that I have had a jump on a Porsche a few times going to work. usually on a long straight before some twisties. That does wake him up and then he follows me through the twisties.

 

 

[Rugd1022]

A couple of period shots at one of the licensed Shelby Cobra dealers in 1966 and another genuine early Cobra somewhere in California in 1964, note the MGA behind it...

 

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Rugd1022

[Killybegs]

23 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

I have a feeling a late friend passed his driving test - at 17 - in a Bradford van. This was in 1965, and the van was not in great nick, but pre-MOT of course. They thought putting in a seat for the examiner might help. 

 

When I took my test in 1966, I was not allowed to use a van and had to have a proper driving lesson to get hold of a car. I learnt to drive initially with my Dad and then in the office van with a brave colleague in the hot seat.

[stewartingram]

All this talk about power. When I was made redundant at Xmas '82, I bought a nearly new Morris Ital. Top of the range, from the main dealer, ex sales demo car, low mileage, but only 1300cc. Mind you I was a fan of the A series engine, and this was the revamped A+; the price at 3 months old was 1/2 that of a new car too.

I then fitted the towbar and towed a 4-berth Swift caravan. No problems whatsoever, momentum is the key. A tad slow in acceleration that's all, but I never had long queues (or that idiot Clarkson) behind me. I did over 200k miles with that car.

 

Stewart

[MJI]

15 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

All this talk about power. When I was made redundant at Xmas '82, I bought a nearly new Morris Ital. Top of the range, from the main dealer, ex sales demo car, low mileage, but only 1300cc. Mind you I was a fan of the A series engine, and this was the revamped A+; the price at 3 months old was 1/2 that of a new car too.

I then fitted the towbar and towed a 4-berth Swift caravan. No problems whatsoever, momentum is the key. A tad slow in acceleration that's all, but I never had long queues (or that idiot Clarkson) behind me. I did over 200k miles with that car.

 

Stewart

 

Last time I did towing, large engined V6, was effortless

[Rugd1022]

A spot of gratuitous daydreaming fodder... bonus FIAT 2300 Coupe in the second photo, probably rarer than the Iso Grifo now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[phil_sutters]

On 01/04/2020 at 18:06, phil_sutters said:

I am currently sorting through a big pile of family albums that were passed on by my late mother. Her family, especially on her mother's side, were keen on their motorcycles and cars, between the wars. I am sorting them out  so that I can give my cousins scans of photos that relate to their parts of the family. I have been able to identify a number of the cars that appear in their photos of holidays and day trips. This one has me foxed. Is that an Austin logo on the grill? Not that many makers used grill logos. The shape of the radiator is also a bit of a puzzle, with the flat top to the grill. The height of the bonnet compared with the sides seems high - or the latter low. Maybe that was to give a more sporty look to a tourer version. The four-part wind-screen is another notable feature. I don't think that the fact that it is on the Pendine Sands is necessarily a clue, but who knows. My mum is the young lady on the running board.

Any ideas?

 

 

If you want to see other vehicles my family messed around with you can see a selection at http://www.ipernity.com/doc/philsutters/album/1254184

[runs as required]

12 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

 

Bizzarrini gialla e Bits di naughty Gesture con la mano sinistra ! 

Vero?