johnlambert

On current Ferraris I think the wing badges are separate, enamel items that have a wing pressing with a matched indent. Which goes some way to explain the high cost of the option (but the price of the option will outstrip the cost to the factory). On old Ferraris, the shields were stickers and the factory only applied them to works racing cars, but lots of owners applied them because they liked the look.

This update could be titled, Putting the boot in. I wasn't happy with the way the battery is visible in the boot, not only did this seem unsafe it didn't seem to match pictures I've seen of the real cars. So I decided to make an enclosure and an extended boot floor. I've used styrene sheet and some "L" section to make an enclosure and support for the boot floor. Test fitting, I think with a coat of paint it should look OK. I couldn't resist seeing what the luggage looked like in the boot. And here's a mock-up with the front brakes/hubs fitted and it definitely puts the front wheels in a much better place. If you want some more Aston Martin DB4 content, I watched this video earlier:

And some more Aston progress. Rear windows are installed. I separated the rear quarter windows from the rear windscreen and gave the quarter windows a bit of a sanding and polish to try and thin them down a bit and get a better fit. This is supposed to be a test fit but I might just leave the body on now. I always find it encouraging to see the body and interior colour in their proper places. Test fitting the wheels, I've drilled out the wheel centres which helps locate the wheels on the axles. Front wheels, the ride height might be a bit low, but that's probably better than too high. I think the aftermarket wheels are definitely the right way to go. The front wheels are tucked quite far in at the moment, but installing the front brake disks and proper hubs should fix that. It's getting there.

Proof that I've not forgotten the Aston. Window frames have been painted and today I touched in some of the body colour around the door opening and on the inside of the side vents (as pictures seem to suggest that body colour extended to these parts.

That's very nicely done.

Here are a few photos from the VSCC Prescott hillclimb meeting on Sunday. Lots of Austin 7s, given that it's the model's centenary, these ones appear to be enjoying the view. And who can blame them? There was lots to see in the classic car park, including plenty of MGs. If you prefer larger machinery, there were plenty of vintage Vauxhalls. Quite a few Bentleys like this 3 litre... ...and this Blower. I don't know much about this Sunbeam except that I love its well-used look. There was foreign stuff too, such as this glorious Alfa Romeo. I don't think I've ever seen so many Lancia Lambdas in the same place before. I don't think I've ever seen a Lancia Flavia convertible, which looks a lot like a mini-Maserati. To end, here are a couple of Bristols, this 403... ...and this 411 Series 3. I've got a few more photos if people are interested and I might try sharing some videos in the motorsport thread.

That reminds me of the chase sequence from the third Jonny English film (it's a bit of a long clip, but worth it). How glorious is the Aston Martin V8 Vantage?

Nice idea, although I think the pattern of the louvres in the body are different between the 35 and 51, but I'm sure it could be done.

This post came up on my Facebook feed from the group, "British Leyland Chronicles". While it mostly repeats what has been discussed, it does add a few bits of new information. Anecdotally, I recall that the "A" prefix seemed very popular, possibly because it happened to coincide with an economic upturn and was a really clear way of indicating how new your new car was.

I think an earlier version might be in the pipeline, but that's pure conjecture on my part.

The engine on the kit looks very bare compared to the photo of the real thing.

Agreed! I just saw it on Facebook, definitely one I'd like to add to my collection. I wonder if Hasegawa have plans for an older Mini too, given some of the options in the kit?

Here's a video walkaround and test drive of a bond bug.

Going back to number plates for a moment. The Bond Bug gets a mention in this list of unusual-looking cars and the pictured car appears to be on Dutch plates.

I've applied a few more coats of paint to the Aston, I think the colour gets better the more paint goes on. I'll get some pictures later, but it's currently under cover while the paint dries. In the meantime, you might enjoy this article on the Aston Martin DB4.  It does almost make me wish I'd chosen a metallic grey-green.

That reminds me of my first motorbike (not that long ago). It definitely had a tax disk holder when I bought it, but I remember one day going to replace the disk to find that both disk and holder had vanished. I assume it had either fallen off or been stolen. I never got around to buying a new holder, although I always made sure it was taxed. The requirement to display a tax disk was dropped soon after (thank goodness).

I could get on board with that, a powerful and free-revving small block mated to the M21 close-ratio four-speed transmission in an early C3 Corvette. I'd have mine in dark metallic blue

Nothing terribly exciting to report. I didn't feel like doing much spraying in the heat last week. I got a couple of coats of paint on before the temperatures got too high. After a week of drying I've rubbed the paint down so it's ready for some more coats. It doesn't look too bad, the colour isn't quite what I hoped but at least it's going on evenly. The paint is Vauxhall Burgundy Red which I thought I'd used before, but it was either a similar colour but not quite the same, or it looks different because the last time I used it I ignored the instructions and put it over red rather than grey primer.

That's quite a big project you've got. My vote would be for stock, but maybe not in red. Whatever you do, I look forward to seeing the result.

I'd rather have the old 'un.

Bond Bugs were made at Bond's factory near Preston and at Reliant's factory in Tamworth, Staffordshire, although I imagine most cars would have been registered by the dealers and I can't find a dealer list at the moment. The Bug was close in price to a new Mini at the time, so it was not expensive but not necessarily a sensible purchase. I think the owner would likely want the new-style number plates to show off his (or her, or their) new car. In my mind it seems more like a car for a flashy, urban person, not someone from a poor, rural or industrial location. You probably can't go wrong with a London registration.

Oh yes and Isle of Man number plates, which are British style but issued by their government and usually have the letters "MAN" or "MN".

Thanks Steve, I had a feeling Z was something to do with Northern Ireland.

There is a chap who turns up at local (to me) car shows with a high-powered Bond Bug. I'm not sure what's done to it but it sounds like a big motorbike engine. The Bug I'd quite like is one of the four-wheel ones that were (I think) a continuation run (to use the modern term) but with an adapted Mini front sub frame. If I had the time, money and talent I'd quite like one of those and possibly see if I could adapt the canopy to have a removable roof panel and maybe even a removable rear window, so you get more wind in your hair (not that I have much hair...).

It is worth noting that in the UK it is legal to display a registration mark that is older than the car to which it is fitted, but not a registration mark issued after first registration. Until (I think) some time in the 1980s first registration was taken as the date imported, so an older car could be exported (and lose its registration) and then re-imported to gain a newer registration. These days the registration issued is related to the age of the vehicle (when I was younger there were a lot of army personnel who lived in my road, quite a few were previously stationed in West Germany and brought cars over with them, which I'd see change from German to British 'plates). Also remember that some letters were never used as age indicators. I and O presumably because of their similarity to 1 and 0; Q was reserved for cars where the age couldn't be determined, usually kit cars built from a number of donor vehicles; Z was never used but I don't know the reason. Have I missed anything?