Growing up - What were your Neighbour's Cars ?

[blakey79]

As a kid my next door Neighbours had some Prime Chod - Let me share

 

1986 Audi 80 Sport in Red - I used to clean this every Saturday for £3.00, and loved it chunkiness.

1989 Volvo 240 Glt Estate - Lovely car, used to get lifts to school in this one.

1986 Maestro City in Navy Blue - Hated it at the time, but now what a car.

1980 Lada Estate in Cream - Filler everywhere

1982 Austin Ambassador in Blue - They used to have a Princess..

[richardthestag]

All in the 1980's suburbia Epsom

 

morris 1000

Mini van

Triumph 2000

2cv

Fiat 500

Austin Cambridge

Mk1 Cortina

Hillman Imp

Chap over the road had a thing for 1970 audi coupes which were pretty nice, he had three of them like this iirc (though none of them were quite as nice as this example)

 

 

By comarison in and around our household for a few brief years late 1980's

Allegro estate

Allegro 1500HL

BMC1100

Rover P6 2200

Marina

Cortina mk4 estate

Triumph 1500

Anglia 105e

early Panda

BX - 3 of them in series a very early 1.4 petrol in baby blue, a red 1.9 dizzler and a new GTi Auto!

Jag XJ6 4.2

TR7

and a Stag

[Father Ted]

Hmm, Well dad had the 1300 which I later bought. The chap next door Morris, had an Amazon, no date prefix on the reg IIRC and the bloke across the road had a Morris Marina M reg.

No body else drove on my road when I was a kid.

David Woodleys dad had a Beetle (cast off from his Grandad), his uncle had a Minor pick up and Ian Raytons dad had a Land Rover and a Morris van with the back cut off to use as a milk float.

Apart from an old guy who had a yellow Mk 1 Escort I cant really remember any more cars in the street or adjoining streets.

[scaryoldcortina]

The only one I remember particularly is that the kid across the street (who was a couple of years older than me) had a mk2 escort on bricks outside his parent's house which he was gradually fixing. I mostly remember it because he set fire to it while welding underneath on the day of my grandad's funeral, and my dad fetched a fire extinguisher (which my grandad had given him, on the grounds it would come in useful one day) to put it out with.

 

Grandad was general manager of Cargo Fleet GEC when they closed down, he took a lot of stuff home that was going to get thrown away... I still have some of it. Anyone who needs indicator bulbs for a strowger telephone exchange should PM me, I found a full box the other day.

 

Everyone else had whatever was new at the time. It was a "posh" estate.

[dollywobbler]

The cars that stand out when I was a nipper, so this'll be early-to-mid 1980s, were a blue Triumph 2000 estate - which I adored, a Jaguar XJ6 Series II (two exhaust!!) oh and the Audi 100 Coupe (like the one above but blue) that a mate's dad owned. We used to clamber around on top of it, yanking the wipers all over the place etc as it was a project he was going to 'do up one day' and therefore has probably been scrapped by now.

 

A girl down the road suffered the embarrassment of not only having a dad who owned a Reliant Robin, but one who felt the need to put one of those green "My other car is a Rolls-Royce" stickers in it.

 

Another mate's dad on the same road would bring back cars and vans from his job, whatever that was. I seem to recall a Ford Scorpio (when they were brand new!) and a black Mk2 Ford Transit with mirrored rear windows. Not sure I've seen anything on the road that cool since to be honest. Even as I child I thought it was TEH SEX. Which is a bit wrong.

 

Thinking about it, maybe my mate's dad was a bank robber or something?

[myglaren]

When I was a kid our next door neighbour had on of these:

 

 

It was the only car for miles, very few people owned cars back then.

He was a businessman of some sort and travelled a lot.

Damned if I can remember his name.

[M'coli]

Well, we lived outside of a town but there were a few houses around and a farm converted to flats up the road. My parents had Heralds, up the road at the farm, one family had a blue Toledo followed by a blue Fiat 126(Deville?) and then a burgundy Skoda 120 while another prick(even at the age of 8 I knew he was a prick) that lived int he flat opposite had a bronze 245 estate, while up the back, one neighbour had a cream Toledo, another had a yellow Mini and then a blue mk1 Golf; the crowning glory went to the family there who ran around in a Blue Morris J4 pick-up (I used to sit on the engine hump when they were taking us to school), followed by a green J4 pick-up, and few dull cars in between until lastly a Wolseley 6, which died in about 1993.

 

Edit: there was another house at the end of the farm road that had a succession of Renault 4s and 6s.

[eddyramrod]

Oh good thread!

 

Next door one side never had a car. At all. Despite having a big extension built, including a lovely new garage.

The other side, I vaguely remember a motorbike first, then a grey Rover 90 P4, ECM 903. After that a blue 2000TC, JRN 823H, then a bronze Marina, VOX 577T which is probably still there!

Beyond him, first car I remember is a black Westminster, DUL 920C, followed by a silver Mk2 Cortina, JOE 23E.

Next house had a maroon Minor van on the drive for years which never went anywhere and is probably still there, 788ALV; he also had a brown FB Victor, later a white Mk3 Cortina estate.

Next to him I remember a Goodwood Green Anglia van at about the time we had ours (1963-ish), then I think a lateish ADO 16, also green. Thee was another, same colour, in the other direction.

Across the road was a bloke who worked at a BMC garage, I remember him with a brown Toledo, then a brown 340. His two sons had a series of studenty Minis and at least one A40, and one built a yellow Lotus Europa, NNU 554J, which I got to sit in!

Next to them was the owner of an Arrow Sceptre that I've posted; he took over a local shop, but before the Sceptre he had a gold Avenger. Two doors further and we come to the previous owner of my Renault 30, which appeared after a trio of 16s. He then had a P6B and a series of Jags, while his wife was last seen with a Mk1 Megane.

 

Oh and further down the road, one bloke had a silver Capri that was always filthy; until he replaced it with a brown Chevy Malibu convertible and an AMC Javelin! The Javelin was also so filthy I can't tell you what colour it was...

[Cavcraft]

One of my old neighbours had an absolutely mint Mk1 Capri 3000GXL in (I think) Daytona yellow.

[Skizzer]

Lots of gold standard future shite in our street in the 1970s - if only my neighbours just hung on to their old cars like I seem to:

 

Number 6 had an Austin Cambridge estate and then Renault 16s

Number 7 was us - a string of Renaults in 10, 12 and 14 flavours, then a mingebag Maestro 1.3L

Number 8 had a Landcrab and then a Renault 12 exactly like ours, same colour and everything, which really irritated my father (we got ours about a month earlier IIRC - HEP 141N when theirs was JEP 693N)

Number 10 were a bit exotic - they were Dutch and had a first-generation Audi 100, then his'n'hers Fiats (a 132 saloon and a 128 Sport Coupe respectively)

Number 5 had a Firenza

Number 4 was an early adopter of the Rover SD1 (and later the 800), which was exciting

Number 3 had a Datsun 100A

Number 2 had a white Ford Consul (the povo spec Mk1 Granada one) and a brown ADO17 Vanden Plas, then replaced the Consul with a Granada coupe in silver.

[holbeck]

OK It's the 70's

 

We have a Triumph Mk1 2000 Estate.

 

Next door is a dolomite 1850 other side an allegro.

 

Over the road it's an Austin 1800 and a Fiat 128 (can still see the owner trying to rev the nuts off it to get it home when the clutch had gone and a slight incline brought it to a stand).

 

It's a small village not enough kids for a bus to school so it's a taxi -Austin cambridge white with red stripe, regular driver is Paddy a lovely Irishman with few teeth but a great sence of humour. Occasionally a Victor 101 would substitute.

[Spiny Norman]

When I was VERY wee I'm sure there was an Aston Martin DB5 parked in our street fairly regularly. I can also remember a white Volvo P1800 and the old bloke across the road having a dark blue Vauxhall Cresta PC which I remember washing for the odd few bob the odd time.

As for chod, that pretty much summed up the 'B' reg Corsair that sat outside our house. Well, until it got nicked that is......

[Vinylseats]

In the mid 80s, our neighbours both sides had a Rover SD1. I seem to remember the "posher" side replaced theirs with another SD1 and the other side with an 800 Fastback when they were new. Opposide, the old man had a burgandy Alpine - it was like a T reg or something. Next door to them they had a beige Triumph Acclaim for years, well into the 90s.

 

An old lady who lived down the road drove a snapdragon yellow mk3 Allegro. I THINK it may have been automatic as I remember it making funny noises as it went up the road (I used to car watch out of the front window when I was of nursery age ).

[RobT]

In a Greater London suburb in the 1980s (a road made up of humble 2 or 3 bed semis) most notable were....

 

Local builder owned a 1972 ex-council Bedford TJ, and a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow The Roller barely fitted on his driveway!

Maroon MiniMetro HLS

The Mazda family next door - 323 for her, 626 for him.

1969 Hillman Imp

1985 Renault 25 GTX - I drooled over this and the neighbour took me for a spin in it one day, has made me want one ever since.

1974 Rover P6 3500 in white with the boot mounted spare

 

We were briefly one of the few 2 car families down the street when my Dad bought a very cheap Reliant Regal saloon - he used to take us up to the local hospital car park and full lock it so we did 360s. Happy days

[hairnet]

lived in a dead end street from 74 to 91

 

three houses from the dead end

 

end house 208d merc white van think it was x reg cant remember

 

next door mk1 fiesta which turned into a mk2 cavalier

 

we had mk3 beige tina saloon then green mk3 estate hand painted black (we helped )

then a blue mk2 granny saloon

 

next door was a rumberlows fella and his company cars were a white avenger estate then 80s happened and it turned into a mk3 3door escort estate with a slidey plastic thing over the side windaz with rumbelows on it

 

the old polish farts didnt drive next to them old man had a 74 white beetle which we used to get rides round the blokc in when he put it in his garage round the back

 

halfway down the row schoolfriends dad had a lancia delta

 

between him and the end of the row the hippies had a 70 karmann ghia and a type 2 pick up

 

round the corner on the avenue bloke had a mk1 cavalier

 

start of the next row bloke had a purple stag (i rode a friends bicycle into it when i was about 9 hehe)

 

across the road the teachers had a austin 1300 3 door

next to him leo had a mk1 cavalier too

 

then blerk further down had red tr7 fhc *wow lights that went up and down*

[CreepingJesus]

When I was in P1, my mate Ian lived round the corner. His dad had a white Avenger, which was exactly the same as the one in the 'DON'T GO WITH STRANGE MEN' film we got shown at school. He was a bit bemused when we refused to get in the car for while thereafter...

Growing up in Paisley in the 70's, there were many Imps. I'm sure that's what our neighbour was welding up when his gas canister blew. Nasty fire, and he was badly injured, but another neighbour rescued him. He was a beige Allegro driving copper, and got a medal from his Chief Constable for that!

Next house, the arsehole neighbours had a succession of multi-coloured Grannys, their son had a Honda CB750 Bol d'Or (the one with the red, white'n'blue fairings and gold exhaust can) and later a CBX 750. Someone along the street had one of those fastback Datsun Sunny SS things. It was replaced by a Bluebird SS (the RWD type) when his wife had a kid.

Final house before I grew up (ish) and moved out, we were the street's 'Shiters, pretty much. My dad's Mk5 'Tina estate and D-plate Mazda 626 (learnt to drive in the former, enjoyed some backroad fun of both sorts in the latter) weren't the oldest motor there.

That honour went to the bloke across the road, who had a '75 N-plate Rangie in beige. Gun rack and all, 'cos he used to wax his moustache, put his tweeds and plus-fours on and go shooting at the weekends. He was a bit eccentric, to be fair and owned a garage. So his son used to scream around in all manner of hot hatches; he owned a number of tatty Mk1/2 Astra GTE's.

The guy two doors up from there, had an 80's type Honda CB450, owned from new, and I can honestly say the only one I've ever seen. A few doors further up, there was a faded red '85 Alfa 75 2L, which I never saw move. I had to shuffle past it on my paper round, so got a good look; and yes it was low-mileage (can't recall exactly how low, but low), and it was terminal, whatever was wrong with it.

Over the back, and on my route to school, was the old bloke who drove a Granada Ghia X, but kept the most immaculate P5B I've ever seen. Serviced both himself, both bought for cash, new. Lovely old bloke, who showed me round the P5B a few times, and was always happy to talk cars. If you talked for long enough, his equally lovely old wife would bring tea and biscuits out!

Further along from there was the farm, home to a herd of utterly retarded cows, and the dodgiest Dodge milkfloat ever. Bald tyres, smoked like a barbeque, and Wullie used to find other ways round, if there was ever a copper about! Tax disc, officer? What tax disc? Oh, the one that's in the post...yeah...about that...

[catsinthewelder]

My dads housing estate is a bit odd, Built between the 30s and 60s in stages it was mostly full of old folks then about 1987 they doubled the size of it with a load of 4 and 5 bedroom 'executive homes'.

 

Very formal chap opposite had a sd3 Rover 200, then a R8 400 now a late 323. His wife a mini then a Rover 100 all bought new and kept immaculate. Next guy round had a red Maestro again always clean and kept for ages. I can't remember anything the next two had but the last old house on that side had a Datsun Cherry (Arna shape) in the 80s later replaced by something smaller, possibly a Kia Pride or a Lancia Y10.

 

My Godmother next door had a 3 door C reg Fiesta Ghia in metallic blue for ages as she couldn't get the dealership to sell her another top spec 3 door Fiesta. She often gave her elderly aunt lifts so needed the larger doors. Eventually it was replaced by a late mk4 Fiesta 5 door which she still has.

 

One guy up the posh end had a Ferrari Mondial which I only saw move under its own power once and that was very carefully onto a beavertail sounding like a bag of spanners He was about 3 doors up from being opposite my friends dad who ran 2 hand painted Morris 1000s and an MZ250. They have since acquired a brown mk1 Fiesta and a red W123 diesel estate which accompany the Morris's.

[j-j]

Mid 80s, ours was the first house on the street but the neighbours had a 'new style' Audi 100 saloon and their son had a Lancia Monte Carlo in red that drove back and forth a dozen or so times only to end up as some sort of project for eternity in their large garage. He rocked around in a blue, rough looking VW cube van that was always getting work done on the street (those were the days) and I'd always be chatting to him when he was working on it (I think about that frequently when I'm working on mine) the cul de sac across the street had a maroon Mk1 Sierra, across from them was a Sierra Sapphire, next to them was a Hiacynth blue Honda/Rover 200 type, across from them was a car that really took my attention back in 1987...... a Vauxhall Cavalier! - I was quite taken by the look of the smooth flush windows and door frames as it seemed to be a step ahead of everything. They must have bought the just-released Mk3 Cav brand new in '87. Folks at the end of the culdesac had an Audi 100 Estate with the split rear window. Can't recall what the grumpy old fukker adjacent to them had but it would have been a typical old giffer chariot in a depressing colour - he was forever coming out and telling us we couldn't ride our bikes at his end of the street.

 

Then there was my Dad's 2CV and along our road past the Lancia + Audi neighbour, the next house had 2 sons and a Daughter; canny quite recall what they all had but I'm sure each of them had a car - deffo a light green square style Passat Estate for one of them that I recall thinking seemed quite old even then, I'm sure the daughter had a white Pug 205 and the other Son some Vauxhall estate thing but not a Cav/Belmont/Astra (I can picture the back of it but not the front), Next along neighbours had a grey Peugeot 405 Diesel and the well off old lady at the end had a new Fiat Tipo with the electronic dashboard.

 

We used to get a Benz 230E as a school-paid taxi as we were semi rural - we loved the bouncy back seat on the hilly roads!

 

Not on our street but I recall a car that would exit a side street and pull out and roar along the road alongside the school playground every lunch break - it used to make this amazing noise like an aeroplane or something. It was a Saab 900 Turbo and I though it was the 'nuts. Also often a white CX estate used to sail along that same road on occasion. (it's got me thinking of the teachers' cars now......)

[RoadworkUK]

I only ever lived in two houses, and it's only now, aged thirty, that I'm finally moving out into my (our) own place. But anyway....

 

Noteable Tat when we lived in Walton-On-The-Naze and lived in number 20 Bland Suburban Gardens (up to october '86):

 

Number 18: Hyundai Stellar! Driven by Dennis. He's dead now.

Number 22: Citroen Visa! Driven by Maureen. She still lives there. We got a flat tyre in it on the way to school once.

 

Noteable Tat since living at Number 2 Curtain-Twitching Close, Frinton:

 

Number 1: W-Plate Fiat 131 Supermirafiori in Metallic Brown. Then D-Plate Rover 820i Saloon. Then Vic died. Shame, awesome bloke.

Number 3: Actually can't remember. He went through a succession of bland middle management stuff.

Number 5: Sierra 2.0 Ghia (Y-Plate), Orion Ghia 1.6 Injection (F-Plate), BMW 525i (G-Plate) Vauxhall Nova 1.2L (F-Plate? White, anyway)

Number 7: Audi 100 Avant ('79 T-Plate), Audi 80 (B-Plate), Toyota Camry V6 (F-Plate)

Number 9: Subaru 1800GL Hatchback (X-Plate?) Fiat 126 (A-Plate), Fiat 126 Bis (F-Plate)

Number 11: Mini 850 ('73 L), Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 GL (B-Plate).

 

For a while number 11 was rented by a couple who it was later found were involved in smuggling. They had two Mercedes G-Wagens, SWB and LWB. This was circa '92. Current owner lost her husband a few years back, crying shame as he was a lovely bloke. Most regretfully he asked my Mum if I'd help him get rid of his car when he couldn't drive it any more. Like an utter arse I told her I had too much going on. I wish I'd helped, not out of any personal gain, but to bond with the old boy. It fills me with sorrow and regret to this very day. Sorry, Will. Anyway, it was a Renault 21 1.7 TX five door hatch, (H-Plate)

 

Number 4 only had one car, ever, and ended up becoming my Mums first car when Chas died. It was passed to me six years later, in '99. Triumph Acclaim 1.3HL. (Y-Plate).

 

That's it. Not many houses on the close.

[STUNO]

This has been a good read. I grew up in a far-off place and in a far-off time. New cars were hard to come by in the ealy 50's.

I will try to think back to 1956 when I was 9 1/2.

Dad had just traded his 55 velox for a 56 Mk2 Zephyr ( probably at a good profit on the Vauxhall)

Next door 53 Velox

next 38 Chev Master

A few more doors down a 52 minx (which I later owned)

across the road a spectacular 50 something Hudson Hornet?

Next an A70 which replaced a Ford 10

then a ford V8 i would guess at early 30's

their neighbours had a 36? Plymouth. This was the only car they ever had in the 20 years I lived there.

Next a black 37 Ford v8.

And some others I remember about town

Dads mate had a 55 Chev which he had until he died in 1997

Dads business partner had an Austin Atlantic

Would see an airflow Chrysler parked in town. I recently read a mag article about a restored airflow that was owned by a retired traffic Policeman, the name of the cop was very familiar to me in my teens. He was still living in the local area so I will bet money it was the same car.

The vet had a Studebaker early 50's

One of the County councillors, a farmer, had one vehicle. A ford model A truck with a home built wooden cab.

Oh and the fellow who lived with his 2 sisters had a 52 Packard 8 , I remember they always sat 3 abreast in the front seat.

And then to my grandfathers home.

He had a 51 Humber Snipe which I loved.

But the neighbours had a big funny-looking two door car. An Allard which must have been nearly new then.

There were many others of course. but 55 years is ancient history to try to dredge up

[Rod/b]

We had some quality old chod round our way. We were at no7 so around us we had:

 

1) Run-out Chevette w/ brown and gold paintwork

3) Skoda 100

5) various and many but these stick in mind:

- Datsun Cherry with more fibreglass in the wings than normal

- Pug 205 in that purple colour that never looks shiny

- Morris 8 resto project

- Mk 1 Escort 1300 e

- Opel Manta 1800

- Cortina 2.3S with Capri 2.8 lump

 

9) Triumph 1300

 

mk 3 Escort van that never started properly

 

10) Talbot Horizon x 2

 

18) Skoda Rapide

 

31) Saab 94

 

35) A chap who was a drag racer. He had an AC Cobra, an 80's Mustang drag car and a Chevy Day Van tow car. His Mrs drove a Corvette. Quite exotic stuff in our corner of suburbia.

[r.welfare]

My folks spent most of my childhood (from the age of 5) in the same house, and only moved 300yds up the road from the previous house (same estate). 1970's 3 bed terraces and semis so the usual spread of company mid-sized Fords, Vauxhalls, Talbots and BL tin, exactly like my dad had in fact.

 

Our bit of the road comprised two pairs of semis, the other houses didn't have driveways and the parking bays/garages were out of sight so not much chod to see. Next door at no.4 (retired couple) had a Metro, then a Datsun/Nissan (that early 80's hybrid badging they did) Cherry. They went on holiday once and their grandson, who was house-sitting, took the opportunity to change the engines between two Marinas on the driveway. Oil everywhere.

 

Can't remember what number 6 had, think it was an old lady who didn't drive. No.8 had an oddity in the shape of a Mk1 Cavalier on a Y-plate, apparently it was a DVLA cockup on an Irish import. 2000GLS I think with the No-styles and vinyl roof.

 

Can't remember much about the old house but distinctly recall a Chrysler 180 or 2-Litre parked by the kerb.

[theorganist]

My next door neighbour at number 44 who we have lived next door to since 1974 had some interesting old tat, ironic as he makes snide remarks about my car now.

 

From what I remember from the early/mid eighties he had:

 

1) Morris Marina 4 door in maroon, it was a very early one, I could swear it was a J reg but did they make them that far back?

2) Princess 2000HL in a brown iirc it was UOK???S. I sat in it once, I remember the seats being the most comfy I had ever known

3) Austin Metro in yellow around an X reg

4) Ford Escort Estate early mark 4 on a c plate with the 1300 OHV. It was white and the previous owner had fitted white bumpers and white door mirrors. He had that for some time, certainly till the late ninteties.

5) Ford Orion in red around a J reg, it got stolen

6) Rover 213 in red, very tatty/rusty

 

Most recently he had

 

7) Rover 214SI on an L Plate red/grey, sold it last year

Rover 414 05 reg in metallic blue

 

My other neighbour at number 48 had a Triumph Herald for a brief time in the eighties but he never passed his test and sold it.

 

There is a guy up the road who has a fleet of Morris 8's but he also was in the Marinas owners club at one point. He had for years a blue K reg Marina coupe followed by an S reg one.

[michiel]

The ones I remember best were a darkish brown Renault 16 on one side and a blue-green Skoda 105 on the other. The 16 was used to haul a huge folding caravan, 2 adults and 4 kids to France every summer.

[mattblack]

Up until I was about 8 we lived next door to a pub, they had various Triumph 2000/2.5s and I can remember coming home from school to find the stripped shell of one on it's side in the pub garden... that's what passed for excitement in those days! Chap the other side had a new car quite often IIRC, seem to remember an HC VIva that got smashed up. When I bought a MK1 Escort a few years ago it still had the old logbook and it turned out that the first owner was that very neighbour. Car was a '68 and I was born in '69 so it may not have still been around when I was aware of cars.

 

Can't remember that many after we moved but the woman next door had an HA Viva, when a new family moved in they had a landcrab, poss. a Wolseley. this was replaced at some point with a Simca 1301/1501 IIRC then at some point after a Rover SD1. Lad the other side had a 'customised' MK 1 Escort with a toy lightsabre for an interior light(!) and later an orange MG Midget that looked mint when he first got it but within about a month was covered in scabs and streaks of rust...

 

A house a few doors down on the other side had a Dodge Charger rotting away on the drive, it had a huge mural of a knight on horseback (charger, see?) on each side. It eventualy disappeared.

[Negative Creep]

Old lady next door had a blue Dolomite. I hated her and she kept telling my Mum we were out the back smoking

Blue Renault 4

Red Volvo 340 whose owner told me off for playing football too close

Beige Lada Samara

Blue Nissan Vanette

 

Dad's friend also had a Mercedes of some description with steering wheel stereo control. Since I didn't understand these I remember him convincing me it was actually voice activated

[quicksilver]

Another great thread for reviving old memories. The older lady opposite had a grey FSO Polonez but traded it in for an XR2 (quite a contrast) and then a Pug 205 auto. Next door to her has had several owners but I only remember one family who had a Nissan Stanza. Chap round the corner had an Escort RS Turbo before moving on to a succession of Porsches, and the elderly couple near him had a pair of Minis, one an Italian Job special. A bloke over the back had a red BX estate, bought a white one for spares and swapped the tailgates over, then the white one sat on his drive for ages along with a rusty and incomplete Jag 420 until I saw them both Hiabed away one day.

In the main estate road I remember a Montego Advantage, Pug 309 SRi, Lancia Prisma and a tatty old D reg Bedford Rascal that lasted until quite recently. Further up lived a metallic green Honda Quintet and a gold Renault Fuego. Abandoned chod included an XJ6 on the pavement outside a garage block - when they resurfaced they couldn't get it moved so to this day there is a patch of old tarmac marking where it once stood. On a nearby drive was a Volvo 740 that looked ok but never seemed to move; it got clamped over an unpaid fine or something, the clamp stayed on for months and eventually it disappeared.

[boobydoo]

The neighbours on the left were called Enid and Jack. They had a Wolseley 16/60 in mauve which in the mid seventies, they traded in for a grey Renault 6 on a P plate. They kept that til Jack died in the early eighties and then it just disappeared, never replaced.

 

The ones the other side, David and Lillian, were Jehovahs Witnesses. They always had Vauxhalls, starting with a green Victor F type, then a Victor 101 followed by a HB Viva. They still had that when I left for college in 1981 but I think they had various HC Vivas and Cavaliers after that.

 

It was all fairly run of the mill stuff in the immediate environs ....Morris Oxfords, Anglias, Escorts, 1100s etc. Nobody had anything weird like a Moskvich or Daf, unfortunately.

[AndyW201]

There were some top shiters on the Pallister Park estate in Middlesbrough in the 70s and 80s!

 

Old John next door had a Bedford HA van (MDC 221L), until he stopped driving. Didnt go out much in it, except to take his labrador to Redcar beach at weekends.

 

Ray the chip shop guy, across the road, had the flashiest house on the estate, and was always the first with new cars. I remember 2 mk1 Audi 80s, Escort mk3 GL, Datsun Stanza, then a variety of Sunnys. Their curtains didn't half twitch though when our Dad got rid of his trusty old Mk1 Escort and parked our first brand new car (a Nissan Sunny B12 2 door) outside their house...

 

In the lock up garages out the back of us, an old giffer had a Blaze Orange Marina coupe (MDC 782L) for years. The underseal tide mark on it got steadily higher and higher over the years...

 

Another guy with a lock up had an early 6V type Beetle, replaced by a mustard yellow Wartburg. Then he went all normal and got a Gold Mk4 Cortina GL. Another had a well kept Daytona Yellow Escort Mk2 popular for years, followed by a brand new Terracotta mk 1 Fiesta pop plus (TDC 763X). He got a new Fiesta every couple of years, after that. Last one I remember was a G reg mk3

 

My cousin Steven who lived at the other end of our road once had a lovely shite brown Mk3 Corty 2000 GXL (XUP 953L), but rot got it in the end, and it was scrapped, replaced by RWR 862K, a more solid 1600 XL. Next door to him, my brother's mate's older brother had a gorgeous Dolomite 1850 (CXG 890K) in dark blue with Wolfrace slotmags, which got traded in for a Mini Clubman estate. His sister's boyfriend had an autoshite winner, A CAPRI MK3 1.3 BASE! (WVN 67S)

 

Ken, two doors down from us got a big payout when he was injured at work. So off went his shonky mk1 Transit and in came a spanking new Cortina Crusader (YAJ 412Y), probably heavily discounted as it was well into 1983 and the dealer already had Sierras in. That car became the local bike! When my brother and his mates all got their own shite and they were off the road, it was 'Ken giz yer keys!', 'All right, drop us off down the club first!', and that poor Corty would be razzed around for the rest of the night.

 

A lad out the back of us was into bikes mostly, but would buy the odd shitter and break them if they were no good, or do them up and sell them. I remember the gloriously tatty Lancia HPE he had. I also remember being quite sad seeing him scrap an N reg Wolseley Wedge 2200. The shell didnt look too bad, but he said you couldnt give them away then!

 

Old Joe across the road was a champion shiter. For some reason we didnt see him with a car until he was well into his 60s. But he kicked off in fine style with a 40% wob K reg Toyota Corolla. This was followed up with a Mini 1000 (SXG 503M), which got brush painted black with stainless wheel arch spats! The creme de la creme of chod though was his Reliant Regal (NVN 662K). In two tone Red/Silver, with chrome mirrors, a set (well, pair...) of chrome fake wire wheel trims and a boot rack! Sadly this beauty apparently set itself on fire due to an electrical fault...

 

I guess my brother's early shite deserves a mention,

Allegro 1500 special (WAJ 934S) in Sandglow, Chrysler Alpine S (MGR 330T) in metallic red, Mini Clubman (XRE 141S) in Black with gold GT stripes and gold 12'' wellers! and Astra EXP special (BWY 737Y) in Black and Gold.

 

Them were the days...

[cms206]

From the entrance of the street, across the road and back...

 

Corner - blue Lada Riva 1200, replaced with a beige Lada Riva 1500 around 1996.

Across the road (upstairs left) - metallic blue Mk5 Cortina Estate, orange 244DL repainted purple in the driveway one Saturday arvo, then a red 343DL.

Across the road (downstairs right) - succession of Vauxhalls on motability.

Across the road (upstairs right) - Gold Renner 5. E353 AGE or something similar IIRC.

 

No-one in the middle close had a car, next close only had one car-owning family - father and son, both with Novas (dad an F-reg 1.0 Merit, son a trio of SRs).

 

Next block had a beige Mk2 Fiesta Pop Plus on a B.

 

Next block my mate stayed in, his dad ran all sorts of shit - an early Uno-based Fiorino van (as a family car), Mk3 Escort Ghia, an early Mondeo then a Xantia. Across the landing had a Mk4 Escort 1.3.

 

 

Moving back up the street the neighbours at the end of my block had a black Mk1 facelift Carlton D, middle close had a Capri 2.0S, replaced by a blue diesel Montego, and a maroon Mk1 Golf upstairs.

 

My dad ran all sorts of shite, mostly bought down the pub of an evening featuring a two-tone Chevette (EGG 48X), a Proton 1.3 (H346 XDS), a C-reg Montego 1300, an A-reg Metro 1300, a gold Starlet with a black vinyl roof, a J-reg Nova (something like J281 XUE - it was a 1.2 Luxe saloon and it was shite), a Sierra (G588 PNS), and finally the Escort Finesse, T160 JGD.

 

Next door was the block on the corner, featuring a late-model 205 Auto and an A-reg 240 saloon (replaced by a Rover 825D).

 

 

Others I remember locally were a rancid, completely rotten and wob-filled Dolomite Sprint and a metallic pale green Cavalier Estate round the corner. My other mate's dad ran lots of shite including an F-reg Cavalier 1.6 which was nicked no less than seven times.