The Great Cortina Hunt. A sad true story.

[brickwall]

[Taff]

a couple of years ago, I was rolling around in a bright yellow 1959 Vauxhall Cresta PA mid-series, and very nice it was too. Until the motor blew up in my face while giving it large on the M5 one afternoon.

 

during the tow home and whilst pondering with a mate where I was going to find a replacement 2600 engine (I know, not original but thats what was in there) my oppo suggested a wanted ad in the local rag. why not , whats the worst that can happen? so ad placed and forgotten about

 

cue a phone call from a bloke who was clearing out his recently deceased fathers place and had a 1962 Cresta PA that he wanted to sell and was I interested? Not really, only need an engine, says I, but he was local so I agreed to pop round, expecting a shit heap with a siezed lump and a five figure price tag.

 

Now, I know this is the internet and we all love a tall story, but the following is genuine dit and I'll try to dig out the photo's and scan them in if I can. The guy selling told me that his dad had bought the Cresta brand new in 1962 and used it daily for 8 years or so, until such time as a broken handbrake cable saw it off the road on a tuesday, the intention being to fix it over the coming weekend. Only, Dad suffered a stroke at work later that week and never drove it again.

To cap it all, Dad was a smart cookie and, knowing the car would be laid up for a while, got his brother to take a few precutions. The fuel tank was brimmed, right up to the filler neck, the car was put up on stands and the air was let out of the tyres, the plugs were removed and the bores filled with engine oil and finally, the interior had loads of carrier bags of silica gel inside.

 

And at was how I found it in 2004. I paid a grand for it, spent 2 weeks fettling it to get it running again (which it did, only needed a battery, starter solenoid and some fresh fuel) along with some air in the tyres and then swapped it for a mint '61 Consul Capri.

 

So, they are out there, though in 20 years of arsing about with cars Ive only ever found that one... I'll try to dig out the pics, lovely motor it was.

[Twiggy]

............... so what happened - did you ever find the Cortina - or have I missed something ?

[warren t claim]

I never did chase up that Mk1...

[Ghosty]

PA Cresta story

Do you still have the Capri?

[dugong]

Deffo worth making some enquireys. I seem to remember a similar story I read about a MK2 Jag, this one was left on a driveway for many years, so ended up completely rotting into the ground!

There was a 'presumed lost forever' Coombs Mk2 Jag found in a massively overgrown lock up somewhere down South. It was run for a year and then locked away, it had disappeared off the club register and everything.

[rainagain]

I used to stay in a village and there was always a rumour that there was a stash of classic cars behind one of the house in the next village, never paid it much attention until years later we became friendly with the people who stayed next door to the fabled house. One summer following a bbq and a few too many beers i recited the story to them. The legend fore told that the old dears in the house had died and two of the three siblings wanted to sell the cottage and its extensive grounds to a housing developer. The third sibling refused. So the house and the garage of classic cars were left in limbo. Powered by beer my friend suggested we walked round and had a look. The driveway was overgrown with full on birch trees but we made our way through and to the back of the house, there in a disintegrating garage sat a mk2 jag and a stacked headlamp merc. I made enquiries if any were for sale but like the house the answer was no. I wonder if they are still there?

[minolman]

Here's the first rumour I never followed up, mainly because I knew there was a little closed knit group of people in the know well before me. This is the story...

 

Back in 1972 when BL announced the end of the Morris Minor a chap with a reasonably new 1968 Minor goes to the local dealership and orders a new Peat Brown Morris. There is a small pool of unsold cars and he gets one. He loves these cars, who knows, maybe his Dad and even Grandad owned them? So, eventually he took delivery from the dealer and it was driven home to his garage. The dealership was probably Kennings, because that's roughly the number of miles away from his house this car has done. [rumour says just over 4 miles] It was then sheeted over, thoroughly prepped for lay up and left in the dark garage, slowly gathering dust.

 

Dash forward 20 or so years to the early 1990's, I am at college doing City & Guilds in motor vehicle engineering. There is alovely variety of 70's and 80's motors in the workshop for us young almost-mechanics to work on. I love the stripped chassis Triumph Herald, apparently given to the college by Standard Triumph having outlived its use as a motor show exhibit. The other guys make fun of my liking of this old shite but I don't care. This older guy who is a workshop foreman bloke, assisting the teachers kind of sympathises and we have an acquaintanceship of sorts - its not 'cool' with your mates to be friends with the teachers is it? I see him driving about in town now and again in an old brown 'G' reg Moggie Minor, but then I leave college and move on.

 

When I buy an old 1960 Austin 7 Mini and get talking A series engines with a guy who has an A35 van, he tells me about this guy with an old brown Moggie Minor who makes pin money helping people with engines. Of course, it's the same old chap. I get an address and go and see him about my mini which has a blown head. He gives me some advice and shows me an eat-your-dinner-off condition 1098 A series he's been doing up for someone, we have a brew, talk about the college a bit and he says hes retired now and just potters about in his workshop, he is a batchelor so does stuff just when he feels like, no ties etc. We're on 'waving as we pass' relations when we drive around, but he is a quiet reserved chap.

 

Matey with the A35 van asks me how I got on, I tell him I've fixed the mini and it was nice seeing the old chap. "Did I see the Minor?" Yes, I see him out in it now and again. "No", he says, "The other one, the four miler". No I didn't. Turns out only a couple of people have seen it and he's very cagey about it. He boought it because he thought at some point his other one would wear out, but it never has. So, how much would a 4 mile MM be worth? I don't think I dare ask.

 

So, I never followed it up. Another 10 years on the old guy is still seen around now and again in the G reg. Maybe I will stop him one day.

[purplebargeken]

I love this kind of thread. In Southgate there is a large, quite streamlined, sloped backed american car. It has been sat on the drive for roughly 8 years or so. Has never moved a wheel. The houses in the area are pretty expensive and this house looks tired and unfettled. You know the type. 

 

I often pondered the wisdom of knocking and enquiring. Mind you, the car was a wee bit rusty back in the day and I doubt being open to the elements has done it any favours. 

 

I might pop over at some point and take a piccie, if only to identify the model.

 

There was a bloke in Elstree who had a junk Daf 66 in the front garden. This puppy was returning to nature. The house was an absolute shitpile and I didn't anticipate that it would go well but... I stopped and knocked and the door was answered by Onslow's distant Neandethal cousin. He made Onslow look like a dinner suit wearing MENSA member. He stared at me, said not a word and pointed at the 'no cold callers' sign. I tried to explain why I was knocking but he just kept prodding at the sign.  I must admit I did say that I couldn't be bothered with his response and just walked away. There was another Daf just a couple of miles away from me, another 66. Parked on a drive and it was actually starting to sink in. It would have yielded a couple of parts but nowt else. Turns out it belonged to the landlord and the tenant didn't have him number to hand. It's still there.

[Twiggy]

I never did chase up that Mk1...

 

 

Awwa ! And I was hoping for a "happy ever after" ending..........................

[eddyramrod]

Couple of stories from Southport, where I lived for 50 years...

In 1993 I moved into a flat in an old house.  At the side there was a garage, and inside I could see a wall of green.  Early 60s Thames 400E van, belonging to my landlord (who was driving a lovely new Samara).  I moved out almost two years later, and subsequently heard the van had been pulled out for restoration.  I hope so.

Fast forward to 2007, and I'm commuting through the town at silly o'clock in the morning.  I drive round the park and left at the roundabout to head out of town... and there's a big old car with a white roof in the front garden of the big old house that has been shabby flats for years.  The house being on the corner by the roundabout, my commute took me across the front of the property and then along the side to the rear entrance, where there was a garage and parking area.  In the parking area there had been a Chevy Caprice Station Wagon for several years (another one I was later told had been taken for restoration).  There had also been a Merc 114 Coupe and a Maestro van.  The van had disappeared by '07, but the Merc seemed to be at the front, beside the big red thing.  So, the following day on the way to work, I made sure to look properly, and the big red thing had clear, and obviously fresh, fire damage.  Serious damage (less so, but still terminal, damage was done to the Merc beside it).  I'd really love to find out who did that, as this thing had been sitting in the garage of a house I passed many many times, for several years, possibly decades.  For a while I was working ten minutes' walk away!  None of the three flats I lived in were much further, this was very much on my patch and I never knew.

It was a 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air Nomad.

 

Oh and the two FSOs in Cyprus?  Still there, neither one has moved an inch.  We've agreed that if I come back with the cash, the pickup is mine.

[jonny69]

I found an abandoned Mk2 Jag in the garage next to mine when I moved into my old place, all covered in cobwebs, keys in it and everything. Tax disc in the window was 1984 and, because when the flats were built some of the garages were sold separately, no-one knew who that garage or the car belonged to. I happened to open the door when I was trying to work out which garage was mine and it was unlocked but, according to the residents, nobody else had ever tried the door. There was a rare scooter in there and a few other things.

 

The garages got done over shortly after I moved in and the scooter was stolen, then other bits and bobs started going missing, so I decided to track down the owner. I put a lock on the door and applied for the logbook. Last change of owner was in 1984 and the address was somewhere in Maidstone, so some way away. Never got a reply when I wrote. Then, one day I came home and the door was barricaded with a vehicle. Real nasty bastard with a 'right hand man' was storming around, but seemed to know about the scooter and was pretty upset about it. Apparently rented the garage from the owner, stuck the car in there and forgot about it. Next day there was a tow truck outside, the car was yanked out and the garage stood empty again for pretty much the rest of the 7.5 years I was there.

[rainagain]

we should all head to Russia:

http://englishrussia.com/2013/07/08/retro-cars-of-the-abandoned-summer-camp/3/

 

From looking at other pages on this site there are loads of abandoned cars/trucks/ships/planes lying round Russia, it's quite amazing!

[Taff]

Do you still have the Capri?

 

no mate, thats went into a private collection somewhere in Taunton. Made a few quid, mind you, turquoise with a white roof, lotus steels, 1500gt motor with 2000E box, white on white interior and column change. looks and moves all in one

[anonymous user]

I think I may have posted these on here before, they seem to have been parked up in about 1987 and then sat for twenty years until they went (probably to scrap) about four years ago.

 

[Micrashed]

Come back in 20 years and I will tell you about a Callibra that hasnt turned a wheel since 1997 and is slowly decomposing in a garage with no roof near me.

[rovamota]

Nothing like digging up an old topic, but I had an email today regarding this Ambassador. It's been collected by a scrap car dealer who's asking about its significance... I'll keep you posted.

 

Random internet searching lead me to find my above pictures posted onto the Princess Ambassador forum. It turns out this very VDP was the last Ambassador ever built and a former Gaydon Museum piece! Apparently is was auctioned off about 8 years ago for around £2500 . Since then its not been taxed and sat on this blokes drive

Here it is in its former glory



So yesterday I posted a letter enquiring in to its future, explaining its 'importance' and offering to buy the car. Watch this space....

[Alexg]

WTF?! What a twat. I wonder what is to become of the Marina LE coupe on his drive?

[Bren]

Scrap man will now want £££££.

 

Get it bought.

[Alexg]

To be fair, that Ambassador will be frigged. It was sat in the grass belly down with a popped rear window for years.

[messerschmitt owner]

I was told years ago about a Peel trident in Waterside, near Kilmarnock, never followed it up. Friend boght it about six years later, paid £200. Was offered £15000 for it a few months later...

 

ALso told about a BMW 600 near Eaglesham - never followed that up either. It appeared on eBay about five years ago!

 

Did follow up the Goggo transporter van in Haddington - went a-looking but never did find it.

[rovamota]

He emailed me asking what I thought it was worth as he didn't have a clue, so I made a 'generous' offer. He then came back saying he thought it was worth more! Odd, seeing as he had no idea of its worth before my offer!

 

Anyway, he seems to think it's now worth a fortune and so the inevitable ebay listing will soon be on the ebay tat thread.

 

So what if it's the last off the line? If it's so valuable why did the museum flog the thing in the first place? 

[sierraman]

He's a fool then as theres hardly a huge market for rusty BL Ambassadors regardless of their importance. Mark my words it'll go on eBay for £££££ then get fragged.

[rovamota]

He's now said he's had lots of offers for it but as we know, getting the people who have offered to actually part with their money is another thing altogether. Anyway, here it is in its current slumber...

 

Anyway, it looks as though he's accepted my initial offer.

[OwdChina]

^^That looks a whole lot better than I was expecting

[Dick Longbridge]

I really can't stand the mentality of some people. Car bought, left to rot, potential offers ignored, car continues to rot.

Eventual call to scrapman to collect rather than enthusiast, so potentially no-one else can 'enjoy' the car.

At least the scrapman had the common sense to ask around a bit, rather than get it cubed. I, like others, will be interested to know how this old bird has fared in the potential frilly parts.

[Guest bangerfan101]

I remember caravaning holiday to Skegness in an Austin ambassador uky682y. Oddly enough and also driven at the same time by my dad. Yorkshire traction bus company had a bus with the reg uky628y in Barnsley chronicle livery

[warren t claim]

THREAD FROM DA DEAD

 

Today I was going about my business when I had a pick up down a quiet road, nothing unusual there until I saw the house opposite had bollards blocking the garage, see pic below.

 

 

Apparently, the place was owned by an old lady who passed away a good few years ago and now her daughter lives there and behind the bollards in the garage lurks an immaculate P reg Astra in silver with an unbelievable 400 miles on the clock! Now I was informed in no uncertain words that the daughter who lives there is a total freak who despite being in her mid 50s dresses in her late mothers' clothes despite them being about four sizes too big for her and loves attending the funerals of total strangers! 

 

Now I know it's her property to do with as she pleases but, in my opinion, it's also a total shame to keep this locked up and never use it.

[Bren]

Billy to the beige courtesy phone...

[timolloyd]

You may have to take one for the Autoshite team and offer her a free service in exchange for the Astra (dressed as a clown, in the back of a hearse, as suggested above)