Rugd1022

It's All over Now Baby Blue - Bob Dylan

The Geneva Motor Show, Spring 1967... https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+earls+court+motor+show+1970&&view=detail&mid=FCAA7F6B79A543963AECFCAA7F6B79A543963AEC&&FORM=VDRVRV The London Racing Car Show, January '69... https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+the+racing+car+show+(1969)&view=detail&mid=A4EA8CB4776D7707729EA4EA8CB4776D7707729E&FORM=VIRE The Brussels Motor Show, 1970... https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+earls+court+motor+show+1970&&view=detail&mid=D923A2EF2BF990EFCAF0D923A2EF2BF990EFCAF0&&FORM=VDRVRV Aaaahhh, that's better...!

Preston in 1968 and another one from the booking on point at Saltley in the '70s....

Small Heath north end shunter's cabin last week, long out of use...

The human side of the railway, when all the humans have upped and left.... the north end shunter's cabin at Small Heath a few days ago, some years after it was last inhabited...

Another one form today - this was a nice surprise, I wasn't aware any of these existed, it's a Marcos Costin Amigo, one of only eight ever built, one of only three in the UK and one of only two which are actually on the road...

More from the Marcos meet this morning...

On my Small Heath job on Thursday, 6G67 incoming, 6H82 outgoing...

Lips Like Sugar - Echo & The Bunnymen

Just got back from Wroxhall Abbey a few miles north of Hatton Locks where the Marcos owner's Club are holding their 60th anniversary gathering, around one hundred cars turned up (many from abroad including a few Mini Marcos's) and I probably took about three hundred photos, but here are just a few to be going on with....

On my way up to Toton this morning I overtook a J reg'd Triumph Herald on the M1 driven by a young lad, what struck me was how small and vulnerable it looked in amongst the modern stuff, it stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. A welcome bit of relief though amongst the dross of modernity!

Heard the news via the railway grapevine while we were shunting at Small Heath this morning, shocking to hear and so sad, condolences to all concerned.

The Winner Takes It All - Abba

My Bonnie - early Fabs

My Lady D'arbanville - Cat Stevens

The Espada is definitely a 'marmite' car Jim there's no doubt about that, I've seen quite a few in the flesh and from some angles they're just plain odd but from others they look like something from Gerry Anderson's 'UFO'! The interior is a lovely place to sit though, with plenty of space for four grown ups. Until the Countach took off sales wise in the late '70s the Espada was Lamborghini's most successful model with a total of 1,217 built and sold between 1968 and 1978, general consensus amongst the Lambo guru's is that about 500 or so have survived worldwide which isn't bad considering the way Italian steel used to rust in those days. I'd have one in a shot given half a chance... Think yourself lucky they didn't put the first prototype into production...

Back In The USA - MC5...

Hey Man - Spacemen 3...

Harry's video channel is excellent, he's a proper enthusiast who uses his cars as often as possible, everything from a Fiat 500 to the Countach. My favourite is the epic drive back from Italy in his Lamborghini Espada…. at one point he found it was running on only eleven of its twelve cylinders but such was its smoothness he didn't realise until he opened the bonnet...!

Just found another shot of LP400 chassis #002 on test at Missano, taken on 17th April 1973, the chap at the back with the stripe on his overalls is test driver Bob Wallace... the second photo (apologies for the awful quality) shows an LP400 on test from 'Sports Car World' magazine in June '76 showing the white on black 'N' reg plates I've mentioned previously, very unusual for a new post '73 registered car....

For some reason I can't get all misty eyed over E-Type roadsters, yet the fixed head coupes really do it for me! The E-Type was the one car he wished he'd designed. The Mini was another favourite of Enzo's, he had three which were slightly modified and he was great friends with Alec Issigonis.

Be a dull old world if we all liked the same thing! Chassis number 002 again, back at the factory after a test run...

Yes it's actually the second (red) production LP400 built, if you look at the small window frame within the door frame you can see it was similar to the (one off) LP500 prototype, once the main production kicked in the frames changed to the more familiar type used right to the end of production. Here's Bob Wallace testing the same car at Missano in '73... hidden behind the concrete pillar is a very early Urraco P250...

Not sure about that Bob, needs further investigation I'd say