Dick Longbridge

Packard Patrician Audi Allroad Citroën C etc Skoda Superb

Wouldn't they end up too lengthy to turn through 90s degrees to cover the driver/passenger windows? Audi adopted a similar solution in the 08 A3 Mrs L owned a few years ago.

The whole thing is really odd - it's a new one on me. I assume the council must have been really lenient with her for many years as the car was clearly miles away from being road legal, yet looks to have been parked on the public highway. Yet on the flipside, it seems the manner in which she was 'notified' of the council's intentions to remove her car (and the question mark of what actually happened to the car and her personal belongings afterwards) was rather underhand. Quelle surprise. I found this report from 2002 which explains why she was so attached to the Consul. She was born plain Anne Smith - she only tacked the "Nay" on three years ago - in Southend in 1937. He mother, Marie, was of eastern European origin. By the time they moved to Hounslow, west London, when Anne was eight she was already a promising pianist and won a place at the Royal Academy of Music. At 18, Miss Naysmith rented a room in Chiswick. She took a job teaching music at the Marist convent school in Sunninghill, Berkshire, and by 1960 was also teaching at Trinity College of Music in London. Careful with her money, she managed to save enough to buy a Ford Consul and to move into better digs at 22 Prebend Gardens. Her musical career seemed to be taking off. When she was 25, she played Beethoven, Bach and Debussy at Leighton House in Holland Park, west London, and went on to perform symphony concerts under the auspices of Sir Adrian Boult. In 1967 her mother hired the Wigmore Hall. Anne was to star. A reviewer from the Times praised the "rich warmth" of her interpretation of Rachmaninov but judged her Chopin "far too strained". It was becoming clear that she would struggle to make the grade as a top-class musician. By the early 70s she had given up teaching and ran into money problems. At about the same time a romance with a 6ft 5in choral singer failed. Her financial position worsened until, to her horror, she was asked to leave her lodgings. Believing she had been wronged, she took to sleeping in her car, near no 22, and agitated to get her rooms back. She never did. The adoption of a reclusive lifestyle is sometimes known as Diogenes syndrome after the Greek philosopher, Diogenes of Sinope, who showed his contempt for material things by living in a barrel. Miss Naysmith became Chiswick's very own Diogenes. She began to follow a rigid routine. She performed her ablutions in a local doctor's surgery and cooked on an open fire in a nearby car park, where she also made a patch of garden. She sometimes passed produce on to favoured neighbours - her tomato chutney is said to be particularly good. Miss Naysmith became a regular visitor to the Barbican music library and was sometimes to be found chatting knowledgeably to crowds outside the Albert Hall. As her clothes fell apart she stitched new ones with rags. She was ingenious, using pigeon feathers to insulate the plastic bags she wore on her feet. She has always refused handouts and is thought to survive on a small sum stashed in a bank. Miss Naysmith's lifestyle has brought her problems. She has been targeted by local thugs and her car was set alight. In the end, though, Hounslow council did for Miss Naysmith. The authority has been taking an interest in her case since 1976. It frequently offered her alternative accommodation but she always insisted that if she could not move back into no 22 she would stay in the car. Over the years a succession of social workers, charities and agencies which work with the homeless tried to help, but no solution emerged. Two years ago, a new resident launched a campaign to have the car removed. She wrote to neighbours: "I know I am speaking for many residents when I say that it is time Miss Smith's car was moved on." She acknowledged that Miss Naysmith might feel "insecure" if the Ford were shifted, but claimed: "The fact remains that the car is a health hazard; it is covered in rubbish, she feeds pigeons there and rats have been seen coming from under the car." However, many people wrote back in defence of their unusual neighbour. "She was here before us and her car is her home," wrote one. "Let us celebrate Miss Smith, not run her out of town." But the tide was turning. The council says it was under pressure from the local government ombudsman and last July the nine-strong Chiswick area committee, sitting in private, agreed that action should be taken to move the car on. The chairman of the committee, Paul Lynch, and officers took over. In February the council successfully applied to Brentford magistrates for a court order allowing officers to move the car. A date - March 7 - was set. On that day, a bright, breezy Thursday, Miss Naysmith left her car, as usual, at about 8am. The brown envelope containing the court order remained unopened on her windscreen. Soon afterwards, council public relations officers descended on Prebend Gardens with leaflets explaining what was happening. Police officers stood by. The PR officials claimed that "Miss Naysmith's friends", as well as councillors, had become increasingly worried about her. They said she had been offered a flat. The council tried to make it seem like a community decision, but most of Miss Naysmith's neighbours knew nothing of the plans. They were even more upset when the council admitted that her new home was not ready and she would first have to go into bed and breakfast accommodation. Councillor Patricia Sterne, who sits on the area committee, said: "It was a complete surprise. It would have been helpful to know. We could have all worked together to make sure it went smoothly." Councillor Lynch admitted that senior officers told him to "keep quiet about the details". They were worried that moving Miss Naysmith could lead to a "media circus and inappropriate coverage". When the tow truck arrived, three neighbours decided to take direct action. Though her leg was in plaster, Sally Mates, an actor and the sister of the former Conservative minister Michael, clambered on to the bonnet of the car. Sian Wheldon, 41, another actor who has appeared in EastEnders and The Bill, and florist Chris Young, 42, leaned purposefully against the side of the vehicle. The "Prebend three" only halted the protest after they were threatened with arrest for obstruction. Ford can be proud of its workmanship. When the Consul was winched on to the tow truck, it did not crumble. There was no sign of the rats that Miss Naysmith's opponents had been so concerned about. When she returned, Miss Naysmith was devastated. Her supporters borrowed a neighbour's Mercedes estate car and parked it on her usual spot. She spent one night in the car but it was vandalised and she was left homeless again. Since then, friends say that she has slept in various places, including a police station and a hospital. The council says that in the past six months it has offered her four flats but she has turned them down. Supporters claim the places she has been offered are too far from her home territory. Lynch says that Miss Naysmith seems to be weeping more than usual, and not keeping herself as clean. Her supporters are concerned that she is living rough and that her health is failing. Ambitious schemes to get her back to Prebend Gardens have included finding an organisation prepared to buy no 22 - its rooms are still rented out - and allow her to spend the rest of her days there. A benefactor has donated another car, but there is nowhere to put it. And besides, Miss Naysmith argues, she already has a perfectly good car. Legal solutions are being sought. John Wadham, director of the civil rights group Liberty, says that Miss Naysmith may be able to argue against the council's actions under article eight of the Human Rights Act 1998 which states: "Everyone has the right to respect for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence." But there is no positive ending in sight. Joyce Johns, a local businesswoman and one of the closest allies of the lady in the car, says: "Miss Naysmith is an ambassador for Chiswick. Her story has been picked up by newspapers and television channels around the world. She should be given the freedom of the borough. "We need a fairy godfather or mother to come and buy no 22 for Miss Naysmith, or give her a piece of land where she can park her car. If we could make one old lady happy, the whole world would be a better place."

Looks like these photos were taken just before the car was loaded up. The fellas with the cover don't look like your average council bods.

@LightBulbFun I'm assuming some sort of anomaly with DooVLA for the Consul to still show as taxed? I can't see anyone ever restoring it - it looked way to fragile to race, too.

No trace of 298 COU online.

D501

Ah, fair enough.

The E9x BMWs didn't have the N47 fitted until early 2008 iirc. Our E91 is a 2007 model with the M47N2 lump and no dpf. I chose it over newer cars at the time purely because of the less problematic setup. I'd assume the 5 series adopted the N47 at a similar time.

Our local multi-storey car park has featured this sitting 'B for 3+ years. Must be costing the owner a fortune in parking...

Absolute bargain!

Doesn't SPOFEC require medication? The same motor was spotted in that there London a couple of years ago and people seem to have been fawning over it. https://www.autogespot.co.uk/rolls-royce-cullinan-black-badge-spofec-overdose/2021/05/14 It's on this YT video at 2.35 as well. I wonder who owns it?

Just spotted this in the car park at Fistral. Fucking hideous. A few £££s worth by all accounts, looking online. I initially assumed it was a barried Rangie with a shite bodykit. Money doesn't buy taste.

I always thought they looked like the French effort at designing a 924. Edit: Looks like I'm not the only one.

Don't do it. It would be the equivalent of Chris Goffey having lip fillers - it would look daft.

It's bizarre, isn't it? The only thing I can think of is it's registered as a Morris for some reason and they've jumped to conclusions. The conversation about the door handles is just plain odd though as there's no similarity whatsoever.

The Vauxhall Ventora VIP. Apparently only 250 were produced in 1973 and were top spec with a numbered plaque on the dash. I first heard of it on this Facebook group- it's amazing how many people on the thread think it's a modified Morris Marina... https://www.facebook.com/groups/729338430573719/permalink/2569868116520732/?ref=share

Just caught up on the sad developments on this thread. My condolences, fella. Loss of loved ones is tough, no matter how anyone dresses it up. Don't be a stranger with your wife and kids - they're hurting too, I'm sure. All the best with things.

Interesting. After the debacle we had with Arfur Daley and his sketchy F31, we're considering finding a run-out LCI E91 with all the toys thrown in instead. What do you think of the driving experience of the F series? Maybe it was just that example, but we were a bit underwhelmed - in contrast, the E91 feels more planted, with better sound deadening, more solid-feeling build quality and better feel through the steering.

At least it looks elegant whilst insolently sticking its derrière into the air!

Spotted! Suspension playing silly buggers?

Two tickets remaining. Roll up!