Killingholme Posted July 1, 2017 Share Posted July 1, 2017 Followed a 1973 Chevrolet Impala 2-door sport coupe home from work today- Kingswood, Bristol. Surreal experience watching this yacht sailing gracefully over a tarmac sea. Will 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted July 3, 2017 Share Posted July 3, 2017 McLaren MP4 development car on the M25 this morning. It was wrapped in the disruptive black and white 'camo' that car manufacturers love. You get loads of Jaguars, Aston Martins and Range Rovers around Banbury in the full came wrap. it just makes you more likely to look in my opinion. Also a lovely Volvo P1800, also on the M25 this morning. Karl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 6, 2017 Author Share Posted July 6, 2017 A butchered 2CV. The rear was a boat tailed three wheeler, and a frameless windscreen and no roof. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Kind of begs the question, why would you bother? No spots from me this week as I'm off work and doing DIY and the mancave (at last)! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Jones Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 A very nice W registered yellow Triumph 1500 in Brecon today , you don't see many of those these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 Yesterday, another one you don't see many of now - an immaculate Y reg Vauxhall Frontera going into Pontardawe Tesco's. Nohing remarable except it seemed to be going nicely - a rare event even when they were new! Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevej60 Posted July 6, 2017 Share Posted July 6, 2017 On my way to work today the Green Mazda 2 that tried to turn sharp left onto the off ramp of the A1M into the oncoming traffic Sat nav perhap's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 7, 2017 Author Share Posted July 7, 2017 From the sublime to the ridiculous. Today I saw the same 2CV trike, immediately followed by a royal blue AC Cobra. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 At lunch time; an AJS 500 racer, then about 3 minutes later a classic original Triumph Bonnie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince1159 Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 17 hours ago, stevej60 said: On my way to work today the Green Mazda 2 that tried to turn sharp left onto the off ramp of the A1M into the oncoming traffic Sat nav perhap's? Not even a sat nav could be that daft?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malpaso Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 An MG TD whilst waiting for the park & ride bus... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete in Lincs Posted July 7, 2017 Share Posted July 7, 2017 19 hours ago, stevej60 said: Green Mazda 2 that tried to turn sharp left onto the off ramp of the A1M into the oncoming traffic Sat nav perhap's? Someone's upgraded from their old Hyundai and now can't find the Post office? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bordfunker Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 McLaren MP4 in bright yellow on a trailer at J10 M40 this morning, and then on my way back into Banbury 2 Austin-Healey 3000s in Adderbury, and a lovely red and black Austin A40 in Banbury itself. Karl 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonhoff Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 Renault 21 Estate car. Would appear to have been sat under a tree judging by the state of the paintwork but now sat in a scrapyard in Derby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 8, 2017 Share Posted July 8, 2017 1 hour ago, Bordfunker said: .....and a lovely red and black Austin A40 in Banbury itself. Karl Had to give way to an immaculate red A40 on a roundabout near Pontardawe on Weds! Couldn't get over how small it was, used to think they looked huge next to a Mini (but then, most things actually are!!) Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 The immaculate white Marina Coupe that lives down the road has just gone past the house - must have just got it out for the summer. Wish I had the cash to make him a silly offer for it as I'd love to build it into a works rally replica like the 1300 class one that Brian Culcheth used to peddle so well in the 70's...!! Keith 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchbuilder Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Ha! I had 3 Marinas. a 1300 Coupe, an 1800 saloon and a TC. All very useful and fun to drive. The TC would stay with a Mk1 Golf if I was feeling brave and eat MGBs for breakfast (lighter, I think). Had ace gearboxes too. When I scrapped my 1300 the breaker asked if the 'box was good. Perfect, I told him, so he upped his offer by 30 quid and gave me a lift home! Sprite owners liked them as replacements. I paid 100 quid for the 1300, was given the 1.8 and got the TC for 150! They never, ever let me down, but then neither did the Morris Minor van that we had with our Radio&TV business and the Marina is essentially a Morris 1000 underneath. Martin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 (edited) Oh no . Not the Marina.. They tried to make a Mk2 Cortina in roughly the same dimensions to catch a top seller "Its what people are buying". Ford were going another way after really good market research... Up pops the much bigger Mk3 Cortina and the Marina is then competing with big selling Escorts, Vivas and Avengers. Then the Japs made headway . Moggy thou front end (wheel attachments fall off the same way) with an MGB engine on the TC.. The other thing was the 2 door Coupe had the same front doors as the 4 door instead of a longer door (like Fords and Vauxhalls) the back pax could actually get out of, a common Austin/Morris/Riley/Wolsey habit. My dad bought one when it was launched in 71 in that catchy Bedouin pinky grey beigey colour with nice tan vinyl interior and mats. Ford gave the Cortina Mk3 velour,carpet and brakes, engines up to 2.0 litres...I'll give it one thing though. The 1.8 TC was quicker than an MGB .............................. On reflection that isn't saying very much. I don't wonder why we haven't a main stream car maker. Mini and 1300 going way beyond its sell by, Allegro, ITAL, Princess , Montego, Maestro (except both turbos!) and Metro. Door catches good enough for the Lotus Esprit ! RIP and Tin Hat on ! PS the Marina team went to S.Korea and work for Hyundai, designed the Pony..You can see a Marina Coupe in there trying to get out. Edited July 9, 2017 by bzn20 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefr22 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Yeh, but the rally cars looked cool! Keith 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bentwaters81tfw Posted July 9, 2017 Author Share Posted July 9, 2017 The Marina was a dog, if you got £30 extra it was because the circlip hadn't broken on the end of the layshaft, and the gears used to float up and down. Apart from the bottom trunnions jumping out, like Morris Minors, the TC also ate the Diff. (an article designed for a 998cc sidevalve engine, bolted to an MGB lump). I drove a new one when they first came out. I had a Mk 1 Cortina with drum brakes. I kept the Cortina. I then drove a company 1.8TC, which I nearly lost. I was going at a fair clip (indicated 3 figures) when someone pulled out of a side road. That is when I discovered they didn't stop, the nose sank into the road, and wouldn't stay in a straight line. Last one I drove was a coupe in the wet..............anyone who has driven one will know what I mean. The chap who designed it should be taken out and shot for producing something so dangerous. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Trevor 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scratchbuilder Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 I didn't have any of those problems with mine, but I scrapped it as I was sick of working on the rear brakes when the bleed nipple broke off at the backing plate. Enough I cried! This was the last one I had, so was my swan song with Marinas. I had what was cheap to buy or even given to me and I didn't spare the rod. But I am and have always been a smooth driver, so have NEVER had a diff. "go" on me or a gearbox on any car and I wasn't even aware of the uprights coming adrift problem! I had great service from all three and some fun. Can't ask more than that really. In fact I have only ever had failures from foreign cars (Citroen GS and German built Astra).. Ah, wait, the front nearside wheel fell off an Ambassador once!<G>. None of my 15 various Triumphs have ever let me down. One of my Jags lost it's gearbox oil cooler one day, but that's it. The other Jag would get me to Silverstone and back to Southend as long as I had 3 gallons of oil and 10 cans of water in the boot! Happy days with a £350 XJ6. Martin 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzn20 Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 29 minutes ago, bentwaters81tfw said: The chap who designed it should be taken out and shot for producing something so dangerous. love it ! They ended up in South Korea at Hyundai on the Pony and beyond. The Morris Minor (and Mini)designer was Alec Issoginis can't blame him. The idiots that thought they could get away with using the moggy bits were criminals. The history of BMC/BMH and Austin-Rover is a collection of mis reading trends, designers not knowing about costs of glass (!) Launching untested cars and using customers as part of R&D, not launching great designs. Its worth reading. Checkout website aronline and look at the individual car sections. Mind blowing! Going back a bit,50s/early 60s. If you wanted a heater in an Austin you had to pay extra although it was fitted as standard on the line. OR. No I don't want a Heater that will more to remove it! The Japs, Datsun and Toyota turned up with everything standard at the same price as an unheated, no radio, no heated rear screen etc. BLMC car. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 We got Marina vans to replace our old Post Office Bedfords. Marinas arrived, old vans take away same time. Every one of the Marina vans shattered its windscreen as soon as we opened the driver's door The PO garage spent three days replacing windscreens, in the yard, as soon as the van was driven a bit the screen shattered. Turned out Morris made the screen glass the exact size of the hole, [or other way round] they didn't allow for the rubber mounting Meanwhile we had to drive Escort vans, Transits, I had to do my rural delivery on my motorbike The farce lasted 2 weeks; in the end we got the Bedfords back until they were replaced with Escort and Metro vans which had just come out Marina brakes and clutch bits were a favoured upgrades for Moggies [and some MG Midgets afair] As late as 1982 a heater, windscreen wiper for passenger side, spare wheel, jack, starting handle, radio and seatbelts were purchaseable extras on BMC cars 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Headroom Posted July 9, 2017 Share Posted July 9, 2017 Not many left! https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?q=moris+marina# Back on topic, this afternoon I saw a rather nice Triumph Stag. That and the MGB were the only BL cars I coveted in the 70's. Trevor 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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