Jump to content

MOD Police car museum visit


trigger

Recommended Posts

One of the local car clubs I'm part off arranged a special visit to RAF Wethersfield today to view the MOD museum and car collection, It's very rare top be able to see this as it's in the middle of a active MOD  and ex USA airbase so security is very high, thankfully one of the club memebers works there and organised it all for us.

 

We all meet at an American diner in Colchester at 8.30am for a nice fat fry up and then had a look at some of the cars outside afterwards.

 

post-3625-0-27297600-1488146406_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-88547300-1488147273_thumb.jpg

 

I loved this Sierra, it was a rare 2.0i pinto, 2 owners from new and totally original still.

 

post-3625-0-82014300-1488146424_thumb.jpg

 

V12! He said recently drove this to Holland and it cost him £100 in fuel by the time he got to Amsterdam, bearing in ind Harwich is only 45 mins away and most of the trip is ferry!

 

post-3625-0-68768400-1488147564_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-02250200-1488146439_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-88291700-1488147568_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-11645900-1488147609_thumb.jpg

 

We then joined a convey across country to the msueum, about 40 miles away.

 

post-3625-0-27212200-1488147791_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-81384800-1488147795_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-48528800-1488147800_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-87347300-1488147842_thumb.jpg

 

This old bus has been sat here as a Cafe for as long as i can remember, at least the late 80's.

 

post-3625-0-45008300-1488147859_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-88850500-1488147901_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-60411000-1488147873_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-20294600-1488147925_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This was meant to be one of those panoramic photos but i can't get it to work on photoshop...

 

post-3625-0-01397600-1488148111_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-93039100-1488148115_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-36751000-1488148121_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-38347800-1488148126_thumb.jpg

 

Now as it was a active MOD base we wasn't allowed to take any photos of the 1930's shelters and huts, or the vehicles used for crimes which are stored there still sadly, firstly we had a guided tour around one of the huts. The tour guide was a bit long winded if i'm honest, I got excited over early 80's VHS player they were still using but mostly it was photos of old police officers, mannequins dressed up in riot gear and old cameras and telephones etc. I took these of some of their old cars though.

 

post-3625-0-09291700-1488148290_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-27365400-1488148294_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-10708800-1488148298_thumb.jpg

 

After this we moved on to the main attraction, now this is very rarely seen in the public so it's quite exciting, all the cars are genuine ex forces, some belong to the MOD's but most belong to the tour guide and sadly most of them were for sale, i say were because a few of them sold during the day!. It's quite sad really, the whole site has been sold off and in 2020 it will become a housing estate, everything has to go and they have no where to put it all.

 

This Triumph 2000 was Ex-Devon and Cornwall police, it sold for £1100 but it was very rusty underneath and apparently the ring gear was gone.

 

post-3625-0-34208800-1488148302_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-82417200-1488148684_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-76667900-1488148689_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-66261800-1488148696_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-63315400-1488148705_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-02109000-1488148751_thumb.jpg

 

This was his own patrol car for many years, he saw it on ebay a few years after they sold it and he bought it back, I think he's planning on keeping this.

 

post-3625-0-33240500-1488149084_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-14724200-1488149089_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-21504500-1488149080_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-49472900-1488149093_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-18811200-1488149098_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

post-3625-0-49735000-1488149232_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-78721700-1488149271_thumb.jpg

 

I didn't ask the price on these.

 

post-3625-0-77358000-1488149337_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-28258000-1488149343_thumb.jpg

 

This Rover 827i was for sale for £1100, It didn't look bad to be fair but will need work to recommission it.

 

post-3625-0-28053900-1488149556_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-33208200-1488149637_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-15471300-1488149862_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-56097800-1488149575_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-06666100-1488149571_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-51721500-1488149566_thumb.jpg

 

This odd ball Sierra 2.0i GLS interested me, it's a auto with keep fit winds and no sunroof, I really fancied it but it belonged to someone else and there was no price.

 

post-3625-0-73820700-1488149715_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-39080900-1488149720_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-55651500-1488149724_thumb.jpg

post-3625-0-63547000-1488149561_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This Senator 24v manual was a beast, I probably should have asked the price but it looked a bit well used.

 

post-3625-0-37319200-1488149973_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-48611400-1488149977_thumb.jpg

 

This Escort 1.3 Popular was £700, probaly worth it for a 3 door now but it done a very hard 108000 miles in 4 years, it had a poorly fitted rear quarter and just looked a bit tired, It still sold though.

 

post-3625-0-99253100-1488149991_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-28270000-1488149997_thumb.jpg

 

Now this really was Autoshite, a genuine panda car, this was £950 and also sold during the day. It had the zip in the headlining for the lights.

 

post-3625-0-12947400-1488150152_thumb.jpg

 

Low mileage!!

 

post-3625-0-51148100-1488150165_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-80994400-1488150156_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-78920100-1488150171_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-71624500-1488150178_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-40898400-1488150369_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-82256100-1488150375_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-57492600-1488150380_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-57158700-1488150392_thumb.jpg

 

This early Mk2 Fiesta had been restored but the paintwork was awful, it was £700... Mot sure if it was worth it though?.

 

post-3625-0-30453300-1488150491_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-74587700-1488150496_thumb.jpg

 

They also had 4 of the 5 Armour plated MOD police Range Rovers built, this will probably be scrapped unless another museum takes them as they can't be sold to the public. They weigh 4 tons each!

 

post-3625-0-58488300-1488150541_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-92548600-1488150545_thumb.jpg

 

The holes in the roof are escape hatches in case it rolls rover.

 

post-3625-0-57895200-1488150550_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-13625900-1488150555_thumb.jpg

 

The twin piece tailgate is because the glass is so heavy you can't lift a hatch up.

 

post-3625-0-47484300-1488150559_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check out this sexy Sherpa meat wagon!

 

post-3625-0-91383700-1488150866_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-73488700-1488150870_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-57488200-1488150874_thumb.jpg

 

I don't much much about this other than it's a Tactica 4x2 armored carrier?.

 

post-3625-0-88124400-1488150907_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-04630600-1488150898_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-87410000-1488150912_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-53647400-1488150917_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-72474400-1488150921_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-03933700-1488150963_thumb.jpg

 

Another of the Armour plated RR's.

 

post-3625-0-33761800-1488151115_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-72367600-1488151119_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-90554100-1488151129_thumb.jpg

 

 

post-3625-0-89919000-1488151140_thumb.jpg

 

I don't know why they had a rear speedo?.

 

post-3625-0-04757800-1488151151_thumb.jpg

 

looking at the twin rear doors from inside

 

post-3625-0-65555600-1488151155_thumb.jpg

 

Look how thick the plating is on the doors, they weigh a ton!

 

post-3625-0-96450800-1488151335_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-04729400-1488151245_thumb.jpg

 

This one was a bit more rough.

 

post-3625-0-51706000-1488151383_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-90007300-1488151358_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-54602800-1488151340_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-96549100-1488151345_thumb.jpg

 

I don't know if the leather rear seats was standard?

 

post-3625-0-32280700-1488151350_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-79372300-1488151354_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-52995000-1488151364_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-44270500-1488151368_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-15920400-1488151376_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-70980500-1488151372_thumb.jpg

 

These belonged to the MOD, they said they will be debadged and auctioned off.

 

post-3625-0-89444000-1488151518_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-07403800-1488151523_thumb.jpg

 

post-3625-0-97011200-1488151527_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Damn, I am absolutely gutted that I missed out on that, especially when you are so local. That would have been a dream day out for me. I am really going to have to have to try and get myself along to a meetup with some of the clubs around here so that I don't miss out on things like this.

 

Even discounting the trip to the base it looked like a great day out with some superb cars in the lineup (especially the Sierra, those have really started to grow on me lately).

 

On a slight tangent, what will happen to the mobile phones? If I could, I would buy the entire cabinet full (even though it would almost certainly result in me getting booted out for turning up with even more "old tat" than I already have).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Those armoured Range Rovers with the barn rear doors were a familiar sight on the M5 / M6 in the mid eighties when I practically lived on that motorway as a service engineer. They were unmarked then, I think in beige or grey rather than white and they travelled in convoy with a truck or two, usually as a group of 5 or 6 vehicles in total. A few times I managed to get my white Cavalier** between their vehicles, breaking up the convoy. This really pissed them off and they would quickly squeeze me out.

 

** The aggressive, outside lane nob's favourite in 1986

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great thread, how the hell did you come away without buying anything though? :)

I keep asking myself that too! I'm think that i should have bought that manual 827i for £1100 now!

 

To be honest i never saw the crime cars as they were around the corner but one of the lads did and was telling me about it, he told me about another item of machinery round there which i probably shouldn't post on here as it was quite a big case but it sounded grim.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...