Inspector Morose

Spot on! 1959 93b 

I had a mate (sadly no longer with us) who managed to get a spin in this. He described it as the worst torture ever to be inflicted on a driver - crash box, manual steering, etc. You'd certainly know you'd done a shift in one.

If you really wanted to know, it's an Eastern Coachworks bodied Leyland Tiger TS8, owned by Maidstone and District that was sold in 1954 to British Railways North East region for departmental use.
No, thought you didn't.

If you really wanted to know, it's an Eastern Coachworks bodied Leyland Tiger TS8, owned by Maidstone and District that was sold in 1954 to British Railways North East region for departmental use.
No, thought you didn't.

I'll just drop this here.

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

13" wheels are for winners. I knew the 312 was based on the 353 chassis but didn't know what that really entailed. Now I know I just have to look at the wheels, thanks.
I do actually own one but it is very very small.


However as this is the only half decent one I could find for sale, and this has already sold, I'll have to accept that this is the closest I will ever get.

I also have a 312 coupe towing a Trabby P50. These are even more expensive in real life.

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

311 had 15” wheels, 312 had 13” wheels so that makes that a 312, I believe.
I bought a 1957 311 saloon from Poland from a retired Wartburg chauffeur - he was able to buy the car after he retired. It was ace, originally it had the smaller 750cc (cant remember exactly but it was basically a IFA F9 unit) but I popped along to the local scappies and picked up a 353 lump to get me home. Years later, I was searching for an original engine and came across one in Guildford at another Wartburg fetishist. It turned out that it was my old engine that I left behind, the Guildford guy had bought something else off him, spotted my engine and bought that too!
Ran it for a few years, partially as a daily driver until I managed to buy B-FOG of Nick Larkin but the ravages of time and many, many Polish giffer bodges to the inner structure and mechanicals meant that it would have cost me thousands to put properly right. I used to annoy folk the IFA club meets as mine was the oldest Wartburg in the country and so automatically got a prize every time, eventually someone found and imported a 1956 311 just to topple me off! Ah, happy days…



312s are the one to go for as they are basically 353s with the nicer body off the 311. The engine is plenty for the car and pretty robust and reliable. 

Most Wartburgs had a column change, apart from the 353s and Knight in the UK and that ran up to 1988 when they went to the VWish engine and floor change (Note: there was a facelift and mechanical upgrade in 1985 and I'm not sure if that stretched as far as a floor change). A good number of the rally Wartburgs (still reasonably popular as a rally weapon) used the column change as the floor change was a bit pants.

Most Wartburgs had a column change, apart from the 353s and Knight in the UK and that ran up to 1988 when they went to the VWish engine and floor change (Note: there was a facelift and mechanical upgrade in 1985 and I'm not sure if that stretched as far as a floor change). A good number of the rally Wartburgs (still reasonably popular as a rally weapon) used the column change as the floor change was a bit pants.

Most Wartburgs had a column change, apart from the 353s and Knight in the UK and that ran up to 1988 when they went to the VWish engine and floor change (Note: there was a facelift and mechanical upgrade in 1985 and I'm not sure if that stretched as far as a floor change). A good number of the rally Wartburgs (still reasonably popular as a rally weapon) used the column change as the floor change was a bit pants.

Most Wartburgs had a column change, apart from the 353s and Knight in the UK and that ran up to 1988 when they went to the VWish engine and floor change (Note: there was a facelift and mechanical upgrade in 1985 and I'm not sure if that stretched as far as a floor change). A good number of the rally Wartburgs (still reasonably popular as a rally weapon) used the column change as the floor change was a bit pants.

See how your relatively economical heaps economy plummets when faced with round the town traffic? Yeah, times that by eleventy billion. Stop start, stop start, it absolutely kills economy even in the best of things. Add an old school auto gearbox and it’s no real wonder that they only do pitiful miles per gallon.
As a confirmed 680 and L10 fan (sorry, no Gardners here - go back to the 19th century where you belong), it pains me to say that modern engines aren’t that bad on torque and given the obscene amounts of stress they’re put under by their mega turbos and strangled with hideously complex emission control equipment, the figures that they put out are nothing short of remarkable. Longevity isn’t that bad either.
It’s this economy that’s driving some large operators push for more battery electrics, they are simply far cheaper to fuel and in an industry that seems to constantly invent new bottoms to race towards, fuel costs are a huge stumbling block in trying to make services pay. Add on reduced component wear, reduced maintenance and theoretically longer service life (mechanically, anyway), it’s a no brainer.

You're not wrong! The NXWM B7s were nearly always on full until Grayson Systems came out with an electric retrofit package. They're quite cool too as they have a routine where they blow backwards to help clear the crap back out of the fins.
The original set up was an ecu controlled hydraulic set up and its fail state was full on at full (engine driven) pump pressure Needless to say, any glitch in sensors, wiring or ecu meant double deck hoovers running around. They reckoned that it knocked over 1mpg off the economy, not great when they're only doing about 5 to begin with.

I'll just drop this here.

See how your relatively economical heaps economy plummets when faced with round the town traffic? Yeah, times that by eleventy billion. Stop start, stop start, it absolutely kills economy even in the best of things. Add an old school auto gearbox and it’s no real wonder that they only do pitiful miles per gallon.
As a confirmed 680 and L10 fan (sorry, no Gardners here - go back to the 19th century where you belong), it pains me to say that modern engines aren’t that bad on torque and given the obscene amounts of stress they’re put under by their mega turbos and strangled with hideously complex emission control equipment, the figures that they put out are nothing short of remarkable. Longevity isn’t that bad either.
It’s this economy that’s driving some large operators push for more battery electrics, they are simply far cheaper to fuel and in an industry that seems to constantly invent new bottoms to race towards, fuel costs are a huge stumbling block in trying to make services pay. Add on reduced component wear, reduced maintenance and theoretically longer service life (mechanically, anyway), it’s a no brainer.

You're not wrong! The NXWM B7s were nearly always on full until Grayson Systems came out with an electric retrofit package. They're quite cool too as they have a routine where they blow backwards to help clear the crap back out of the fins.
The original set up was an ecu controlled hydraulic set up and its fail state was full on at full (engine driven) pump pressure Needless to say, any glitch in sensors, wiring or ecu meant double deck hoovers running around. They reckoned that it knocked over 1mpg off the economy, not great when they're only doing about 5 to begin with.

You're not wrong! The NXWM B7s were nearly always on full until Grayson Systems came out with an electric retrofit package. They're quite cool too as they have a routine where they blow backwards to help clear the crap back out of the fins.
The original set up was an ecu controlled hydraulic set up and its fail state was full on at full (engine driven) pump pressure Needless to say, any glitch in sensors, wiring or ecu meant double deck hoovers running around. They reckoned that it knocked over 1mpg off the economy, not great when they're only doing about 5 to begin with.

I'll just drop this here.

It's a tradition, an old charter. Or something.