Nice postcode, shame about the tat: now with vans

[Skizzer]

New year, new spotting thread.

 

An old friend of mine, who's done pretty well for herself and yet rolls around in a knackered 1997 Merc C200, once pointed out to me that rich people didn't get that way by spending all their wealth on depreciating assets like fancy cars. With this wisdom in mind, I've been keeping an eye out for unexpected rammel amongst the monotony of X5s, V70s and 997s as I pass through London's smarter suburbs.

 

Exhibit 1 - South Kensington. Big mansions and the odd embassy. And this deliciously brown 230E Panzerwagen; they don't build them like they used to, y'know:

Mercedes W123 in Kensington by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Round the corner, what better for the well heeled teenager to learn to drive in than a breadvan Polo, complete with original (if a bit kerbed) trimz...

Polo CL in W8 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

...which is more than can be said for this pinkening Audi 80. Not sure where the nearest Halfords is to Edwardes Square, but clearly this car made more than one trip to it.

Audi 80 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Mayfair now, just off Bond Street, the week before Christmas. Picking up some last minute stocking fillers from Prada? Take the Volvo:

Volvo 240GL in Mayfair by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Parked outside a yacht broker just north of Berkeley Square, a Bentley Azure with private plates - but completely upstaged by this boggo-spec Dedra wagon. Diplomatic plates FTW - "with this deeply unfashionable Italian estate car, Ambassador, you are truly spoiling us:"

Lancia Dedra in Mayfair by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Here's a truly crap picture, but this place off Kensington Church Street is so posh it has a gatehouse with a liveried sentry, who was unimpressed with me taking pictures of this immaculate T-reg 244DL in non-metallic brown:

Volvo 244 in Kensington by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Remember when all 2CVs looked like this? This one's in Twickenham:

IMG_0807 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Here's another one, just by Richmond Park. It disappeared shortly after, only to be immediately replaced by a W123 coupe garden ornament . The horse box is still there. PM me if you want to make him an offer and I'll drop a card round:

IMG_0048 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Immaculate giffer-spec E30 316, in beige throughout, complete with parcel shelf hat. Want.

BMW 316 in Richmond by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Stone me, it's a Fiat 1500. These were like chicken's teeth when they were new, never mind now; nice colour too. Bonus tidy K10 Micra in the background, but Richmond is chock full of those:

Fiat 1500 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

This Y-reg Chevette still does regular service. Sweet. Bit of T-Cut wouldn't hurt it, mind:

Chevette in Richmond by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

That'll do for now. Next time - tradesmen's vehicles, lowering the tone of some more smart neighbourhoods.

[boobydoo]

That Fiat is an excellent spot . I'd be worried leaving a nice motor like that on a busy London street, though. That'll get scraped in no time.

[quicksilver]

Beemer is nice, I saw one much like that today

[Lord Sterling]

An old friend of mine, who's done pretty well for herself and yet rolls around in a knackered 1997 Merc C200, once pointed out to me that rich people didn't get that way by spending all their wealth on depreciating assets like fancy cars. With this wisdom in mind, I've been keeping an eye out for unexpected rammel amongst the monotony of X5s, V70s and 997s as I pass through London's smarter suburbs.

 

Agreed, this is something I've noticed whilst rolling around the Knightsbridge/Victoria/Hyde Park/Eaton/Belgrave Square areas. Lots of old rammle laying around in daily use, I did snap some pics but never got them off my memory card, this is something that need to be addressed very soon.

[ashmicro]

Great spots there Skizz. Your mate's right about the well-heeled, "old money" types. One of my mates is one of the richest people in Northern Ireland, and he drives a fucked P38 Rangie. I also reckon he sleeps in his clothes.

[eddyramrod]

That BMW looks like it might be a Cyprus import! RZ 580 would be about right for that model; I don't think it works as an Irish plate, and I don't think Ireland has much of a number-plate trade. Although of course I know you can buy NI plates.

 

Lord Sterling: oh boy yes, you really need to do that! Last summer we found a memory card lying around at the cat sanctuary, and fortunately were able to track down the owner. She is keeping in touch. She hadn't uploaded the pics either and would have "lost" friends who are no longer around, and her sister's wedding.

[ashmicro]

RZ 580 could be an old Belfast plate. My ancient Mini was 302 FZ, and they swapped the letters from first to last. I can't even remember what year my Mini was! (old age)

 

EDIT: My Grandad's Daimler was RZ 4000, registered at the old Government Buildings in Clifton Street, Belfast.

 

 

 

[Skizzer]

Great spots there Skizz. Your mate's right about the well-heeled, "old money" types. One of my mates is one of the richest people in Northern Ireland, and he drives a fucked P38 Rangie. I also reckon he sleeps in his clothes.

 

Thanks ASH. Actually that reminds me of being in Warminster as a nipper and seeing the Marquess of Bath doing his grocery shopping in a white Renault 6, which was chod even then. (This was the old-school previous Marquess, not the current one with the wifelets.)

 

Speaking of aristocrats - Lord Sterling, go dig out that memory card! If you want to add to this thread I'd be honoured, or obv you may want to start your own

 

Do you know, I'd not even twigged there was a Z in that Beemer's plate, which must be a sign of encroaching old age That Daimler's lovely.

[e287yba]

Don't know why, but the thread title - and the irony of the quality of the tat therein - reminds me of

[Wilko220]

Posted these on a different thread a while ago but they fit here well. Both parked regularly outside very posh addresses in Westminster...

 

 

[eddyramrod]

Ah yes, I remember those! That Landie looks like the wheeled equivalent of a mercenary who's been working all over Africa for 20 years....

[Skizzer]

Yep - now that's a proper Landie. Probably belongs to Ranulph Fiennes or Col Mad Mike Hoare or Princess Anne ("One's life - live it") or someone

[Wilko220]

("One's life - live it")

 

Brilliant!

[ashmicro]

("One's life - live it")

 

Brilliant!

 

 

 

Isn't there a pic somewhere of Seth's Hillman parked outside the Foreign Office or suchlike?

[mouseflakes]

Thanks ASH. Actually that reminds me of being in Warminster as a nipper and seeing the Marquess of Bath doing his grocery shopping in a white Renault 6, which was chod even then. (This was the old-school previous Marquess, not the current one with the wifelets.)

 

I think the tat-love was passed down - some years ago I'm sure I saw the collector of wifelets driving a black/gold tiger-striped R9 in Bath.

 

Oh BTW, here's his old dad and some R4s...

 

[Lord Sterling]

Speaking of aristocrats - Lord Sterling, go dig out that memory card! If you want to add to this thread I'd be honoured, or obv you may want to start your own

 

Cheers Skiz, found the memory card but alot of the pics are pretty crap, not sure why but I have recently changed my phone so if I find myself down there again I shall go on a small shite mission around SW1.

 

Apart from the first Bedford pic, all the cars in my pics are within the SW1 residential areas between Knightsbridge and Pimlico Road:

 

From the Bus (Me on a bus, whatever next....)

 

SW1 Shite:

 

 

 

 

YAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[eddyramrod]

Bloody hell, a CF, SM, 16/60 and Fiat 500 all in one post! Very well done sir! My thumbs are up! (Might explain some of the typing, lol)

[Skizzer]

Excellent! Now that's what I'm talking about, as Sebastian Vettel would say (although possibly in a different context)

[garycox]

A great selection, good work LS!

[Wilko220]

A few more from the same swanky Westminster street as my last offerings, where you seem to either have to drive serious bling or serious chod...

 

First up, this Golf cab with a very topical number plate. Not sure Alex Salmond could quite fit his fat arse in here, but you never know...

 

 

And like buses, they come in twos. Here's another, complete with the second old Landie that this road boasts

 

 

Obviously no-one here likes VWs though, so have some French convertible tat instead...

 

 

And finally, my personal favourite (the one on the left I mean),..

 

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

YAY!

 

I was just watching that street on film last night:

[Pete-M]

Amusing how much of the old luxo-tat is London registered. I bet most of 'em are one owner jobs.

 

The 164 Turbo... great spot. Don't see any of them here.

[Skizzer]

Holy thread resurrection, Batman. In the OP I promised a follow up to this featuring decrepit commercial vehicles still trundling around expensive bits of London and the home counties. It's only taken me five months to get around to it, but here you go.

 

Summer's here, sort of: Fancy a Mivvy?

Morrison Bedford CF ice cream van, South Bank by Skizzer, on Flickr

IMG_0703 by Skizzer, on Flickr

IMG_0857 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Actually the last one does frothy coffee and pig sandwiches rather than ice cream, but let's not quibble.

 

You know you're not overpaying for your glazier when he rocks up in this:

 

New windows, Richmond by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

Pleasingly non-scene T25. Can't be a lot of these left in pick-up form, I wouldn't have thought?

IMG_1110 by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

This leafy part of Richmond distinguishes itself by not having any parking restrictions, which makes it home to all sorts of joys:

IMG_0050 by Skizzer, on Flickr

Sherpa Highwayman by Skizzer, on Flickr

 

And finally, Autoshite Decorating Services: this was in daily use when I still lived in Richmond and full of paint cans. Absolute winner.

Peugeot 305 by Skizzer, on Flickr

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

 

Not so much rammel as Rommel. Just needs a £10'000 number plate for that 'Old Money' look.

[Ross_K]

Those first two ice cream vans look like the kind you can buy an ounce of weed from if you say "Alright mate, I'd like a *cough* *cough* 99 please".

 

The third one? Who the hell buys Lavazza coffee from a van?

[Skizzer]

Who the hell buys Lavazza coffee from a van?

 

Now you mention it I don't think anyone ever did, that I saw. And I walked past it twice a day for a month.

 

See, now I'm worried it's a Special Branch surveillance operation and I've just posted it on the internet. My house will be blown up by a drone or I'll be mysteriously found to possess lots of drugs/child porn/uninsured vehicles and locked away for ever.

[Ross_K]

See, now I'm worried it's a Special Branch surveillance operation and I've just posted it on the internet.

 

Like this?

[jonny69]

There are quite a few classic vans along the south bank and surrounding streets peddling coffee, ice cream and hot dogs. No idea where they found all the vans; most of them seem to have been restored to what looks like a high standard and all the ones I've checked have had valid tax discs. I'd expect it costs lot less to buy a new or second-hand ice cream van than to shell out to buy and restore an old vehicle, so it seems like quite an expensive way to run an ice cream business to me, but what would I know?