gricer

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

Well, if you'd told me when I bought this car in 1991 that it would be a star of a major classic car show in 30 years time I might have given my head a wobble. But so it came to pass. Great day out at the Festival of the Unexceptional, and a commendation in the Concours d'Ordinaire. And a nice weekend in Lincolnshire with Mrs Gricer as well. 500 miles of trouble-free Kia motoring too, though I managed to scratch the wing while putting air in the tyres, like a numpty. Anyway it now has its own little name board for the next time it goes to a classic car show. Which it certainly will...

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE
After the epic rescues of 2016, not a lot happened. The blue Pride kept passing its MoT. I trailered the van up north so all the Prides could be together (aaah!) and then came Covid, so I couldn't even visit them for almost a year.

Meanwhile I'd had an amazing find online - a NOS front bumper, all the way from Bulgaria. I paid my €43 and waited. After a few weeks, it arrived, in a cardboard box the size of a car. Amazingly, it was the right part. And I'd located another supplier of significance - of which more later (he said, mysteriously)
The blue Pride's rust wasn't getting any better, so it was time to get the bodywork done.  And it was its 30th birthday in May, so what better time for a refresh? A suitable bodyshop was recommended to me (High Gloss Motor Bodies of Stockport) and the trip was on. I drove the car from Blackpool to Stockport, which is probably the longest journey it's made in decades. As I left, I realised it was probably the last time it'd see its home since 1991, as the plan was to bring it home to Surrey.  Lump in the throat...

Not a peep, despite monsoon conditions. 10 days later I'm on the train to Stockport to collect - and drive it back home to Weybridge. Chris at the bodyshop has done a superb job of matching the difficult metallic blue paint colour on the resprayed side panels and doors.  Rust door bottoms and wheel arches are gone, and the mum-inflicted bashed wing is fixed.  And the new bumper makes it look rather special. But it needs another touch to make it properly special...

The journey home involves a stop in Stafford. Because Stafford is the home of Mr Whitewalls. By a process involving alchemy, the dark arts, a motorised contraption, a heat gun and a bottle of paint, Mr Whitewalls set about the task of whiting my walls, baby.

And then it's onward down the M6 for the 200-mile journey home (not a peep from it - what a great little car it is) to be reunited with a matching set of original wheel trims...


I honestly can't keep smiling, just looking at it, with its little whitewalls and proper trims. The Pride did us proud for 30 years, and now I've repaid the favour. And even better - it's been accepted for the Concours at Festival of the Unexceptional. Come and  say hello.
Next job - project van!
 
 

Yes, really early shot of Korean spec cars. Those bumper sticks were popular in Asia. the second car in line is probably a mingebag spec 1.1. Those were sold here but in very small numbers. Note also - no side trims, and Korean-standard spots.

Yes, really early shot of Korean spec cars. Those bumper sticks were popular in Asia. the second car in line is probably a mingebag spec 1.1. Those were sold here but in very small numbers. Note also - no side trims, and Korean-standard spots.

I know the owner of that one. Proper Kia fan!
 
 

It's been a while since my update on South Korea's finest pocket shite rocket, and while not much has happened to the blue Pride, it has acquired some companions.
To recap, you're looking at the oldest surviving Kia Pride in the UK, and as the UK was the first European export market, it's the oldest Kia in Europe. It was a press fleet car, one of the first batch of H...FKM registered cars used for the original press launch in June 91.

I actually drove it on the launch, and later bought it direct from MCL group for my mum. Who drove it for the next 20-odd years, refusing to trade it in for anything else. None of the other H...FKMs are still registered or SORNed, so it's the last one of the batch.

Sadly my mum passed away in 2016, so the car has passed to me. She hadn't driven it for a couple of years, though it's had regular runs out and has continued to pass its MoT every year. It's become a much-loved family member, and as it has genuinely historic provenance, it's going to get some TLC. It has a few rusty bits, the front bumper is poor and there are a couple of dings that need fixing. And it's lost one of its original wheel trims. Overall, it's in very good nick, with 42k on the clock and a very clean interior including some nice period details.

I figured that the easiest way to get the parts for any full resto would be to buy a complete car. I urgently needed a front bumper, and could do with door skins, wings and possibly a rear arch repair.
In July, a complete, early LX turned up on Ebay – one owner from new, low mileage, with a few weeks’ MoT. Crucially, the bumper looked intact, and not discoloured. So I put in a cheeky bid, and got it for the starting price. Operation white knuckle shite rescue was on.
A trip to somewhere east of Doncaster to collect was needed - real Autoshite country. I decided to leave the car at the family home in Lancashire rather than risk getting it back to Surrey, as anyway, that's where the blue one lives. I'd been out in Manchester so I took the train, and an hour or so later, I'm looking at a slightly bent red Pride, and its owner from new, Harold, who'd used it to go to the shops in at 20mph for the past 22 years.

Harold and his family were absolutely brilliant. They'd persuaded Harold to stop driving as he kept hitting things. Unfortunately he'd put a few dents in the Pride in between it going on Ebay and me collecting. Nothing drastic, and thankfully the front bumper had avoided the gatepost.
 
Harold's Pride is mechanically excellent, with a really good interior in exactly the same trim as the blue one. But the body is rotten under the car, and probably wouldn't pass another MoT without major welding. So the longest drive it had probably ever done would almost certainly be its last taste of the open road. Bittersweet emotions as I headed for the M62.

Pumped up the tyres, filled up the tank and off we went, without a peep. About half way across the Pennines, the odometer clicked over to 40,000.

The temp gauge started creeping up as we passed Bolton, so I left the M61 and headed up the A-roads instead. Temperature calmed down. Got back to Blackpool without a peep. Parked up and trained it back to Manchester to collect my car.
Plan is to swap the bumpers, some of the trim and see if any panels are useable. It's a great source of mechanical spares, and the engine is sound.

Holidays, work and so on means nothing gets done, of course. And then, in December, an Ebay alert once again.
This time it's something of an Autoshite holy grail. A red K-plate Pride van, wearing guess what - the proper wheel trims for the blue car. I try to contact the seller about just buying the trims. Get no reply. Place bid. Win car. Now I've bought a Pride van just to get the wheel trims.

Turns out it's the same van that was on sale a couple of years ago in immaculate condition. The bad news is that it'd been a building firm site manager's van for the past two years. So it was now somewhat less than immaculate. This is a real shame, as it seems to have been cosseted for the first 22 years of its life, then ragged around for the past two. It says a lot about how sturdy these little cars are that it's still driveable, with 10 months MoT!
So what needs doing? It needs new front wings, and there's a nasty dent just behind the passenger door. The tailgate doesn’t seem to fit properly, and it's filthy inside and out.

But it's complete, with immaculate bumpers and a good engine. Rear wheel bearings are shagged, though, and it made some alarming noises on the 90 mile trip from Kettering to Weybridge.
And it's a van. It's rare and lovely, and it deserves to live! And as I do have a complete donor car, I reckon three will make two good ones.
Still need some undented wings, though, and a nearside door wouldn't go amiss. 

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE
After the epic rescues of 2016, not a lot happened. The blue Pride kept passing its MoT. I trailered the van up north so all the Prides could be together (aaah!) and then came Covid, so I couldn't even visit them for almost a year.

Meanwhile I'd had an amazing find online - a NOS front bumper, all the way from Bulgaria. I paid my €43 and waited. After a few weeks, it arrived, in a cardboard box the size of a car. Amazingly, it was the right part. And I'd located another supplier of significance - of which more later (he said, mysteriously)
The blue Pride's rust wasn't getting any better, so it was time to get the bodywork done.  And it was its 30th birthday in May, so what better time for a refresh? A suitable bodyshop was recommended to me (High Gloss Motor Bodies of Stockport) and the trip was on. I drove the car from Blackpool to Stockport, which is probably the longest journey it's made in decades. As I left, I realised it was probably the last time it'd see its home since 1991, as the plan was to bring it home to Surrey.  Lump in the throat...

Not a peep, despite monsoon conditions. 10 days later I'm on the train to Stockport to collect - and drive it back home to Weybridge. Chris at the bodyshop has done a superb job of matching the difficult metallic blue paint colour on the resprayed side panels and doors.  Rust door bottoms and wheel arches are gone, and the mum-inflicted bashed wing is fixed.  And the new bumper makes it look rather special. But it needs another touch to make it properly special...

The journey home involves a stop in Stafford. Because Stafford is the home of Mr Whitewalls. By a process involving alchemy, the dark arts, a motorised contraption, a heat gun and a bottle of paint, Mr Whitewalls set about the task of whiting my walls, baby.

And then it's onward down the M6 for the 200-mile journey home (not a peep from it - what a great little car it is) to be reunited with a matching set of original wheel trims...


I honestly can't keep smiling, just looking at it, with its little whitewalls and proper trims. The Pride did us proud for 30 years, and now I've repaid the favour. And even better - it's been accepted for the Concours at Festival of the Unexceptional. Come and  say hello.
Next job - project van!
 
 

They were a thing in 80s Korea - a lot of cars had them, and other aftermarket knick-nacks like bonnet ornaments and flowery chintz seat covers. Saw it for myself on a press trip in 1987. Whitewalls were so popular they were a factory option. When Kia UK started they thought it would be an attention-grabbing gimmick to offer them - and it was. Most buyers specified them, and people remember them to this day. They were offered for about 3 years.

They were a thing in 80s Korea - a lot of cars had them, and other aftermarket knick-nacks like bonnet ornaments and flowery chintz seat covers. Saw it for myself on a press trip in 1987. Whitewalls were so popular they were a factory option. When Kia UK started they thought it would be an attention-grabbing gimmick to offer them - and it was. Most buyers specified them, and people remember them to this day. They were offered for about 3 years.

They were a thing in 80s Korea - a lot of cars had them, and other aftermarket knick-nacks like bonnet ornaments and flowery chintz seat covers. Saw it for myself on a press trip in 1987. Whitewalls were so popular they were a factory option. When Kia UK started they thought it would be an attention-grabbing gimmick to offer them - and it was. Most buyers specified them, and people remember them to this day. They were offered for about 3 years.

Brilliant. I think everyone who drove the ROFFLE Pride at Shitefest Cymru was impressed at what a bonny little car it was. I look forward to seeing it ag FOTU. Even Kia UK's own Pride doesn't have whitewalls (well, the spare does).

Just as an aside, don't know if you saw this from my collection a couple of weeks back. Don't see many in the wild. I loved my little Pride - ran it for a couple of years round the turn of the millennium.

just read the thread from the start, what a lovely story and save  
you have done a cracking job and it looks amazing  
looks like it would be a right hoot to drive as well, I understand most small hatchbacks of this period are  
keep up the awesome work I look forward to seeing the Vans restoration!
 
as a side note Im curious when it was new with its whitewalls, where they specifically made for Kia and the Pride or did some other obscure car at the time also use them?
 
 
 

Just re-read this thread from the start. Love the fact you bought a van just for the wheel trims! 
I learnt to drive in a metallic blue K reg Pride 5 door. I am sure it had white walls too! 😎

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE
After the epic rescues of 2016, not a lot happened. The blue Pride kept passing its MoT. I trailered the van up north so all the Prides could be together (aaah!) and then came Covid, so I couldn't even visit them for almost a year.

Meanwhile I'd had an amazing find online - a NOS front bumper, all the way from Bulgaria. I paid my €43 and waited. After a few weeks, it arrived, in a cardboard box the size of a car. Amazingly, it was the right part. And I'd located another supplier of significance - of which more later (he said, mysteriously)
The blue Pride's rust wasn't getting any better, so it was time to get the bodywork done.  And it was its 30th birthday in May, so what better time for a refresh? A suitable bodyshop was recommended to me (High Gloss Motor Bodies of Stockport) and the trip was on. I drove the car from Blackpool to Stockport, which is probably the longest journey it's made in decades. As I left, I realised it was probably the last time it'd see its home since 1991, as the plan was to bring it home to Surrey.  Lump in the throat...

Not a peep, despite monsoon conditions. 10 days later I'm on the train to Stockport to collect - and drive it back home to Weybridge. Chris at the bodyshop has done a superb job of matching the difficult metallic blue paint colour on the resprayed side panels and doors.  Rust door bottoms and wheel arches are gone, and the mum-inflicted bashed wing is fixed.  And the new bumper makes it look rather special. But it needs another touch to make it properly special...

The journey home involves a stop in Stafford. Because Stafford is the home of Mr Whitewalls. By a process involving alchemy, the dark arts, a motorised contraption, a heat gun and a bottle of paint, Mr Whitewalls set about the task of whiting my walls, baby.

And then it's onward down the M6 for the 200-mile journey home (not a peep from it - what a great little car it is) to be reunited with a matching set of original wheel trims...


I honestly can't keep smiling, just looking at it, with its little whitewalls and proper trims. The Pride did us proud for 30 years, and now I've repaid the favour. And even better - it's been accepted for the Concours at Festival of the Unexceptional. Come and  say hello.
Next job - project van!
 
 

It's been a while since my update on South Korea's finest pocket shite rocket, and while not much has happened to the blue Pride, it has acquired some companions.
To recap, you're looking at the oldest surviving Kia Pride in the UK, and as the UK was the first European export market, it's the oldest Kia in Europe. It was a press fleet car, one of the first batch of H...FKM registered cars used for the original press launch in June 91.

I actually drove it on the launch, and later bought it direct from MCL group for my mum. Who drove it for the next 20-odd years, refusing to trade it in for anything else. None of the other H...FKMs are still registered or SORNed, so it's the last one of the batch.

Sadly my mum passed away in 2016, so the car has passed to me. She hadn't driven it for a couple of years, though it's had regular runs out and has continued to pass its MoT every year. It's become a much-loved family member, and as it has genuinely historic provenance, it's going to get some TLC. It has a few rusty bits, the front bumper is poor and there are a couple of dings that need fixing. And it's lost one of its original wheel trims. Overall, it's in very good nick, with 42k on the clock and a very clean interior including some nice period details.

I figured that the easiest way to get the parts for any full resto would be to buy a complete car. I urgently needed a front bumper, and could do with door skins, wings and possibly a rear arch repair.
In July, a complete, early LX turned up on Ebay – one owner from new, low mileage, with a few weeks’ MoT. Crucially, the bumper looked intact, and not discoloured. So I put in a cheeky bid, and got it for the starting price. Operation white knuckle shite rescue was on.
A trip to somewhere east of Doncaster to collect was needed - real Autoshite country. I decided to leave the car at the family home in Lancashire rather than risk getting it back to Surrey, as anyway, that's where the blue one lives. I'd been out in Manchester so I took the train, and an hour or so later, I'm looking at a slightly bent red Pride, and its owner from new, Harold, who'd used it to go to the shops in at 20mph for the past 22 years.

Harold and his family were absolutely brilliant. They'd persuaded Harold to stop driving as he kept hitting things. Unfortunately he'd put a few dents in the Pride in between it going on Ebay and me collecting. Nothing drastic, and thankfully the front bumper had avoided the gatepost.
 
Harold's Pride is mechanically excellent, with a really good interior in exactly the same trim as the blue one. But the body is rotten under the car, and probably wouldn't pass another MoT without major welding. So the longest drive it had probably ever done would almost certainly be its last taste of the open road. Bittersweet emotions as I headed for the M62.

Pumped up the tyres, filled up the tank and off we went, without a peep. About half way across the Pennines, the odometer clicked over to 40,000.

The temp gauge started creeping up as we passed Bolton, so I left the M61 and headed up the A-roads instead. Temperature calmed down. Got back to Blackpool without a peep. Parked up and trained it back to Manchester to collect my car.
Plan is to swap the bumpers, some of the trim and see if any panels are useable. It's a great source of mechanical spares, and the engine is sound.

Holidays, work and so on means nothing gets done, of course. And then, in December, an Ebay alert once again.
This time it's something of an Autoshite holy grail. A red K-plate Pride van, wearing guess what - the proper wheel trims for the blue car. I try to contact the seller about just buying the trims. Get no reply. Place bid. Win car. Now I've bought a Pride van just to get the wheel trims.

Turns out it's the same van that was on sale a couple of years ago in immaculate condition. The bad news is that it'd been a building firm site manager's van for the past two years. So it was now somewhat less than immaculate. This is a real shame, as it seems to have been cosseted for the first 22 years of its life, then ragged around for the past two. It says a lot about how sturdy these little cars are that it's still driveable, with 10 months MoT!
So what needs doing? It needs new front wings, and there's a nasty dent just behind the passenger door. The tailgate doesn’t seem to fit properly, and it's filthy inside and out.

But it's complete, with immaculate bumpers and a good engine. Rear wheel bearings are shagged, though, and it made some alarming noises on the 90 mile trip from Kettering to Weybridge.
And it's a van. It's rare and lovely, and it deserves to live! And as I do have a complete donor car, I reckon three will make two good ones.
Still need some undented wings, though, and a nearside door wouldn't go amiss. 

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE
After the epic rescues of 2016, not a lot happened. The blue Pride kept passing its MoT. I trailered the van up north so all the Prides could be together (aaah!) and then came Covid, so I couldn't even visit them for almost a year.

Meanwhile I'd had an amazing find online - a NOS front bumper, all the way from Bulgaria. I paid my €43 and waited. After a few weeks, it arrived, in a cardboard box the size of a car. Amazingly, it was the right part. And I'd located another supplier of significance - of which more later (he said, mysteriously)
The blue Pride's rust wasn't getting any better, so it was time to get the bodywork done.  And it was its 30th birthday in May, so what better time for a refresh? A suitable bodyshop was recommended to me (High Gloss Motor Bodies of Stockport) and the trip was on. I drove the car from Blackpool to Stockport, which is probably the longest journey it's made in decades. As I left, I realised it was probably the last time it'd see its home since 1991, as the plan was to bring it home to Surrey.  Lump in the throat...

Not a peep, despite monsoon conditions. 10 days later I'm on the train to Stockport to collect - and drive it back home to Weybridge. Chris at the bodyshop has done a superb job of matching the difficult metallic blue paint colour on the resprayed side panels and doors.  Rust door bottoms and wheel arches are gone, and the mum-inflicted bashed wing is fixed.  And the new bumper makes it look rather special. But it needs another touch to make it properly special...

The journey home involves a stop in Stafford. Because Stafford is the home of Mr Whitewalls. By a process involving alchemy, the dark arts, a motorised contraption, a heat gun and a bottle of paint, Mr Whitewalls set about the task of whiting my walls, baby.

And then it's onward down the M6 for the 200-mile journey home (not a peep from it - what a great little car it is) to be reunited with a matching set of original wheel trims...


I honestly can't keep smiling, just looking at it, with its little whitewalls and proper trims. The Pride did us proud for 30 years, and now I've repaid the favour. And even better - it's been accepted for the Concours at Festival of the Unexceptional. Come and  say hello.
Next job - project van!
 
 

LONG OVERDUE UPDATE
After the epic rescues of 2016, not a lot happened. The blue Pride kept passing its MoT. I trailered the van up north so all the Prides could be together (aaah!) and then came Covid, so I couldn't even visit them for almost a year.

Meanwhile I'd had an amazing find online - a NOS front bumper, all the way from Bulgaria. I paid my €43 and waited. After a few weeks, it arrived, in a cardboard box the size of a car. Amazingly, it was the right part. And I'd located another supplier of significance - of which more later (he said, mysteriously)
The blue Pride's rust wasn't getting any better, so it was time to get the bodywork done.  And it was its 30th birthday in May, so what better time for a refresh? A suitable bodyshop was recommended to me (High Gloss Motor Bodies of Stockport) and the trip was on. I drove the car from Blackpool to Stockport, which is probably the longest journey it's made in decades. As I left, I realised it was probably the last time it'd see its home since 1991, as the plan was to bring it home to Surrey.  Lump in the throat...

Not a peep, despite monsoon conditions. 10 days later I'm on the train to Stockport to collect - and drive it back home to Weybridge. Chris at the bodyshop has done a superb job of matching the difficult metallic blue paint colour on the resprayed side panels and doors.  Rust door bottoms and wheel arches are gone, and the mum-inflicted bashed wing is fixed.  And the new bumper makes it look rather special. But it needs another touch to make it properly special...

The journey home involves a stop in Stafford. Because Stafford is the home of Mr Whitewalls. By a process involving alchemy, the dark arts, a motorised contraption, a heat gun and a bottle of paint, Mr Whitewalls set about the task of whiting my walls, baby.

And then it's onward down the M6 for the 200-mile journey home (not a peep from it - what a great little car it is) to be reunited with a matching set of original wheel trims...


I honestly can't keep smiling, just looking at it, with its little whitewalls and proper trims. The Pride did us proud for 30 years, and now I've repaid the favour. And even better - it's been accepted for the Concours at Festival of the Unexceptional. Come and  say hello.
Next job - project van!