lesapandre

ARO of Romania. They went bust in 2006. Nice no -nonsense design.

The 1100 tailgate is by Crayford of Westerham. The frame is so flimsy and the ratchet stays so prone to sticking that a cracked rear window would have been a near inevitably.

Or a horizontal spring mechanism mounted in the roof. More expensive to engineer than simple gas struts.

It is. BMW have copied the Nuffield/BMC design lexicon quite closely. There is quite a lot of 50's Morris Oxford in these designs too.

Today - clutter removed but A303 considerably wider.

"I told you not to fiddle with the cigarette lighter"

Which New Town is that?

Armchair critics. Campbell is one of a select number of people who have significantly pushed at the envelope of human experience - an extrordinary man. The speed was over 400mph - but the other amazing statistics are that at that speed the car was covering a mile at 8.9 seconds and that the braking distance for Bluebird was then 6 miles - there was no engine braking effect from the gas turbine itself so the car was effectively coasting. Campbell thus had about a minute + to bring the vehicle to a halt. These runs were also mostly privately financed so were on a tight budget in difficult and remote terrain.

K7 Bluebird - Lake Eyre Australia - in 1964 - before taking the Land Speed Record to 403mph. Gas turbine powering all 4-wheels.

The 1957 photo car shows a 1939 model Lincoln Zephyr V12. Somebody clearly having a lot of fun.

The XK140 are very nice. I used to have one. They are pretty fast - 130+ if in a good state - but of course the dial of what is performance has moved on since...1954 which was when mine was made...the thing that inhibited fast use was the drum brakes and their propensity to fade fad fa f..... They of course have the coolest boot badge of any car... If you get the chance to drive one I would recommend it...they are very special. And if one came up affordable jump at the chance to own one. These days they can have aftermarket discs fitted...so you stand a chance of survival...

Reminds me of a few French hotel rooms I have stayed in....

Yes they had an 84-inch wheelbase for extra pitch..."pass the seasick pills Maud". By comparison a modern Toyota Aygo has a 92-inch wheelbase. Though the looks work better as a convertible.

I have never driven one. The petrol engine went into the TR sports cars. The diesel - Motor magazine tested one and recorded a top speed of 66 mph and 'acceleration' from 0–50 mph in 31 seconds and fuel consumption of 37.5 miles per gallon. They did not sell many - I think around 1500. The estate is quite good looking - very few survive...the 3-box saloon was hobbled by the rear short wheebase inherited from the original beetle-back design and consequently looks very odd at the back.

Yes I'm sure it is a Vanguard - perhaps a diesel for additional misery.

I think you are right.

Looking on the French advice websites I have found this advice (trans) which is a possibility: "with the injection, the throttle flap is completely closed, the idle speed regulator is a kind of bypass which allows the engine to be supplied with air, while the injection computer calculates how much to send fuel to keep things running smoothly, whether cold or hot - and sometimes the idle regulator has a malfunction On a multipoint injection, I would have advised you to look at this step-by-step but as the AX has a single point injection (it looks like a carburetor), the system is different, it is a part which is called "idle speed regulator" and which is fixed on the injection body" They are available it seems: https://www.oscaro.com/valve-de-reglage-du-ralenti-alimentation-dair-citroen-ax-za-11-1-1-55cv-1298-15323-0-gt Have a look and see if you have got one of these. Given they are so readily available failures may be a common occurrence.

Snap...both epic pieces of design. Anyway this is a roundabout way of continuing the winterising story... I have been to collect a self-powered water pump to flush the block and heater core. No idea if it will work...but hey old kit is always fun..

The do rust. Most die for that reason - or did. Anything is worth repairing now.

Very pretty - worth a trip...just outside Londin off the M11. Greenbelt country and all the better for it - thought nice to visit I still prefer to live in the inner city...but a nice day out. Even has a real car spares shop. No chip stall in the market though. Diss has a great one - nothing like a freezing East Anglia winters' day, stamping your feet in the market and eating lovely hot chips... All a bit chi-chi here - but I did find the only chippie in town for a road trip treat

Out in Saffron Walden collecting a tool...First time out for the Benz since it's France trip

Yes being a 4-litre diesel you'd need to be brave - but given these vehicles industrial use it could before an external electric starter?

RIP Rootes...you were a distinctive household name and nicely made but unable to generate enough profits to innovate effectively and independently survive. We could not love a car called Super Snipe or Imp alas.

And briefly colour... Ryton by artist Terence Cuneo early 50's - Humber and Hillman.

Ryton factory - later Peugeot - now demolished - final spit and polish to the glamorous Sunbeam Rapier.