I-Spy Classic Cars/Bikes-What have you spotted?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Austin Westminster?

Austin A40 Cambridge

I thought something like an Austin Half Ton van?

It is an Austin A95 Westminster, Estate
and what an odd and rare spot. The owner was nowhere in sight, and it was just parked up in a rough layby, and was generally in excellent condition there was a layer of dust on the bonnet It was a nice day so maybe it was out for a run in the countryside, conked out or the owner was off taking the dog for a walk. I had a free enough hand to mooch and take photos!

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Car of the Day Winner (Northumberland)

Exhaust fumes of the day Winner too!

Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

Not wishing to be boringly repetitive have I already posted the story of my Dad's friend and his XK120?

[NewcastleFalcon]

Not wishing to be boringly repetitive have I already posted the story of my Dad's friend and his XK120?

I would think it unusual if anyone ever (apart from me) gives previous postings on a thread even a cursory glance, yesterdays fish and chip paper. So every day is a new audience. I had even forgotten this post of mine, and its wonderful revelation of the reverse sweep tachometer. So quote your story Mick or put up a link to it, again I cant remember what it was, and this is Jaguar XK day after all.

That actual car is an XK140 build date 1955, originally grey but now black.

Jaguar XK120......you may or may not appreciate the aesthetics of the interior/dash but it hits the interesting button for me because....

It has a reverse sweep tachometer.....what else has Students of todays whatsthisthen? will know at least one other.


1950 Jaguar XK120 interior
No machine-readable author provided. Sfoskett~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Lovely gallery of cars and colours xkdata.com

Nice colours gallery too

This was the original colour of "my" car spotted today

Birch Grey


Regards Neil

[mickthemaverick]

OK I will. There may be a few inaccuracies but I claim senility, it was a long time ago

Back in 1936 my Dad's mate Terry had a Jaguar SS100 which was his baby and his life long love. My Mum used to tell us how funny it was when Terry came round to see them. His arrival would be announced by the snout of his car peeking round the corner as he turned into their road, William Street in Walthamstow, and rolled up to the house. As he stopped my Mum would delight in watching him "grow" out of the car. He was a very tall man, 6' 7" I believe, and he had to haul his legs out while supporting himself on the seat back and wheel. Once out he always stood beside the car and tipped his cap to my grandmother who would have come outside to watch the performance.

However that is not the main point of this story which is to relate how the war brought about his ownership of the XK120. When war broke out petrol rationing was introduced for private vehicles and the ration allowed was based on engine size. Terry knew that he wouldn't be able to do all he wanted on his ration so he implemented a rather devious plan. He removed the engine from the SS100 and fitted a very small, I believe 50-100cc lawnmower engine in its place. This gave the car a top speed of around 15 mph but he was able to get about and save up his ration coupons as he did so. He joined the army in 1942, as a dockworker he had been exempt from call up, and was stationed in Dorset leaving the car at his home in Bow. Sadly the car was requisitioned for whatever being a large engined car suitable for conversion to a van. (I bet the REs had a surprise when they opened the bonnet! ) and was never seen again.

Once he returned from the war he set about saving for a replacement car and by the time he was in a position to buy one, Jaguar had brought out the XK120, it was 1948 or 49 I believe. Terry got his new car and drove it on a European tour using up his petrol coupons saved during the SS100 days. Apparently it was a common thing to use up coupons long after their issue, which resulted in a change in the coupons issued during the Suez crisis in the 50's which had a finite life imposed on them, as did the ones we received in the 1974 oil crisis although we didn't have to use them.

The last time I heard of the XK120 was when Terry put it up for sale in 1960 before he emigrated to Australia with his son and daughter after his wife was a victim of lung cancer I believe. My Father died in 1976 and was still in touch with Terry as we received a card from him signed "Terry, (the one with the Jag)!"

[NewcastleFalcon]

Thanks for that post Mick, always best to keep the content flowing, it's there to make comment on, or launch into a related or unrelated random link.

I can't find a "repetition" of your story on the FCF...er just have...but its well lost in the vaults....

50 points for you if you can come up with the title of the thread it was on, and I think that it was a very specialist thread which is unlikely ever to see the light of day, or be searched for by anyone on the FCF...is was of course

Spoiler: show

Vauxhall Chevettes with Different Engines

My father had a mate who was an RAF Squadron Leader and he owned a Jaguar XK150 I believe it was (may have been a 120 my father was not great on cars!). During the war and petrol rationing he substituted the engine with one from a lawnmower and drove the car at a maximum 12 mph for nearly 5 years. Then when the war was over but rationing still going on he refitted the original engine and toured the country using his saved up ration coupons!!

Interesting that you posted up that toy garage on the garages thread, it appeared as I was searching for my Regent petrol station near Rowlands Gill.

[mickthemaverick]

Well found Neil, and it goes to show how bad the memory can be!! I reread the thread and realised I had got a bit mixed up in that tale. Terry was in the army not the RAF and the lawnmower engine went in the SS100. I mixed that up with Dad's brother who was in the RAF and had the XK when I was a nipper!!

[CitroJim]

Seen during my bike ride today...

A proper Beach Buggy

Back in the early 70s, one of my friend's big brother had an orange VW Beetle based one...

Happy memories

[Hell Razor5543]

Well I wonder what points you would score if you see any of these on the road?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/the ... d=msedgntp

[NewcastleFalcon]

Well I wonder what points you would score if you see any of these on the road?

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/news/the ... d=msedgntp

One of them on the list was the Renault 19 Cabriolet. Have noticed a couple at auctions, but it would appear zero following for them. Brightwells sold this for £500

June 2018 Brightwells £500 hammer price

Regards Neil

[NewcastleFalcon]

Car of the day from me, I had to track it down didn't know what it was when I first saw it, and its a TV spot rather than one roaming round the roads of Northumberland.

I'll start off with a rather blurry picture

So here it is, clue with every guess

Regards Neil

[Gibbo2286]

It's a Bristol.

[NewcastleFalcon]

It's a Bristol.

It's not A Bristol Gibbo so here's a little more

Clue with every attempt

The rear view

REgards Neil