The Wedgister - Princess and Ambassador Records

[vulgalour]

@LightBulbFun It at least highlights the madness of BL trim options.  You'd assume a car with trapezoid lights and a full vinyl roof would have the 2.0 or 2.2 engine, not the 1.7 it's listed as having.  I was hoping to get further with this today than I did.  It's been nice to spend a few hours on it and I'll do some more tomorrow and see how far I get.  When I have one, I'll put a list together of the ones that I don't have records for or that have incomplete/confusing records, and punt it your way and you can let me know what's required to cover costs etc. of that if needed.

I'd very much like to create a little website archive as a one-stop-shop for wedge info to try and help people understand more about these cars, and to learn more myself.  But that's a full time endeavour and I definitely don't have the time for it, much less the time to learn how to create a website, keep it up to date, safe from malicious interference, and all the rest that goes along with it.  I'm not interested in earning any money from it (which is just as well, because I wouldn't), I just want to make sure the info is preserved and available for the handful of other enthusiasts out there.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

4 hours ago, vulgalour said:

I'm still working my way through updating the records, it takes a bit of time to rejig the images and such and check through every car, but I'm getting there.  While you wait for me to complete that, here's what happened to the cars from the 1995 Spondon AGM photos above.

FRW500T – no details found. Presumed dead.

XGJ780W – 1981 Tax due 10^th April 2010 – 2.0 brown Princess.  Probably survives.

GCL138T – 1979 Tax due 1^st September 1997 – 2.2 beige Princess.  Could survive.

KJF224V – 1980 Tax due 1^st December 1997 – 2.0 gold Princess.  Could survive.

YAY537Y – 1982 Tax due 18^th July 1995 – 2.0 red Ambassador.  Could survive.

A200LCL – 1983 Tax due 28^th August 1998 – 2.0 green Ambassador.  Could survive.

NJR464X – 1982 Tax due 6^th October 2004 – 2.0 red Ambassador.  Was taxed in the 21st century so stands a much better chance of surviving than most untaxed examples here.

MWG846X – 1981 Tax due 1^st October 1996 – 2.0 blue Princess.  Could survive.

GBT563W - 1980 Taxed until December 2022 - 1.7 beige Princess.  The only one definitely known to survive.

 

The really depressing thing about this archive is just how few pop up as known survivors.  Most are stuck in untaxed limbo or there's no record which means you have to assume it was scrapped.  The handful that are left rarely make it into the hands of enthusiasts and while it's been a joy to see some new ones appear from long term storage, it's equally sad to see them reappear not long after in breakers yards or being prepped for racing.  They're rare, and nobody cares.

I really hate to say it, but in my experience cars which have RFL showing as ending partway through the month are usually cars which have been officially scrapped. I'm sure LBF will be able to clarify.

[vulgalour]

I know.  But there's also a number of cars that have reappeared that had been parked up in the 90s and they didn't all have tax expiring at the end of a month.  That's why I call it untaxed limbo, you just can't tell either way until they appear or someone provides proof they're dead.

[vulgalour]

No Suffix/Prefix - 4 entries

These vehicles either have the older style plate without a prefix/suffix or a less usual format.  They may have been interpreted incorrectly.  If you know the correct registration, please do let me know.

• 309ARX - Wolseley
• OHB408
• SCJ788
• WOO11 - Video capture from a 1981 Nottingham proto-dashcam recording found on Youtube.  Haven't been able to refind the original video.

[vulgalour]

L suffix - 1 entry

ASG5L - this one is a bit of an anomoly.

[greengartside]

6 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

No Suffix/Prefix - 4 entries

These vehicles either have the older style plate without a prefix/suffix or a less usual format.  They may have been interpreted incorrectly.  If you know the correct registration, please do let me know.

• 309ARX - Wolseley
• OHB408
• SCJ788
• WOO11 - Video capture from a 1981 Nottingham proto-dashcam recording found on Youtube.  Haven't been able to refind the original video.

I know which video you mean as it’s a belter! Gas van crash by Rod Bean…

1:49 in….

[vulgalour]

LEGEND!  I've been trying to find it for ages.

[AndyW201]

Wow! Datsun Skyline at 44 secs in that vid too. Have we got VRO 411S yet? That was  Dr Legg's green wedge in Eastenders.

[Asimo]

1 hour ago, greengartside said:

I know which video you mean as it’s a belter! Gas van crash by Rod Bean…

1:49 in….

Is that the world’s first dashcam crash?

Avenger estate was lucky!

[vulgalour]

43 minutes ago, AndyW201 said:

Wow! Datsun Skyline at 44 secs in that vid too. Have we got VRO 411S yet? That was  Dr Legg's green wedge in Eastenders.

We didn't, but we do now.  Last V5 issued in '87, last taxed in '88 so probably dead.  10 years seems to be about as long as most managed to last.

[greengartside]

How about this one?

RRF 991R, an 1800 of 1976 vintage. Pictured outside Manchester Central in 1977.

Tax expired Feb 1985.

[vulgalour]

Top find, it's not on the list.  I spy a bonus Sandglow wedge in the background too.  I wonder what the blue car is to the right of the image, given the unusual wing mirrors I'm going to assume something akin to a Cedric.

EDIT: and I just realised the white wedge is a very rare L model.  Vinyl interior, no vinyl on the roof, bodycolour door frames.  Very odd windscreen wiper blades too.  I suspect L trim Princesses are now extinct, I've only seen 1 modern day example, and maybe 3 or 4 period photos and that's it.

[Richard_FM]

I've noticed as a general rule the Princesses had more vinyl the higher spec they were, though police spec ones tended to not have any.

[vulgalour]

Generally speaking, L is no vinyl, HL is C pillars only, HLS is full roof.  Except when it's not.  Engine sizes also are generally 1.7 for the L, 1.7 and 2.0 for the HL, and 2.2 for the HLS.  Except when it's not.  Twin sealed beam headlights for L and HL, trapezoid halogens for HLS.  Except when its not.  Flat colours for L and HL, metallics for HL and HLS.  Except when it's not.  You get the idea.  BL seemed to be operating on the principle that the customer gets what the customer wants. Except when they don't because BL cocked up the order somewhere along the line and the wrong trim or even colour was delivered.

Just remember, it's always a Princess.  Except when it's not.  Then it's an 18-22.

 

I also figured out what that blue Japanese car is; Datsun Bluebird (610) of about 1975 vintage.

[DVee8]

@vulgalour, you have turned up on FB.

[vulgalour]

I wonder if that was the person taking ages to park up and waiting for me to go into the shop.

[DVee8]

27 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

I wonder if that was the person taking ages to park up and waiting for me to go into the shop.

His opening line.

Spotted in my local Sainsbury’s yesterday. The jury’s out on the rear end mods but nice to see it out, about and surviving nonetheless.

[vulgalour]

@fordperv tipped me off too.  Also, got tipped off on a limousine that I was previously unaware of.  Haven't been able to figure out the registration on this one and have sent the seller a nice message just in case they'd be willing to share, totally understand if not of course.  Had I got more room and cash, I'd be on this like a tramp on chips to be quite honest.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393861793180

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/jKQAAOSwwbVh3F3A/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/UzIAAOSwJy1h3F3I/s-l1600.jpg

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/5REAAOSwAmJh3F3S/s-l1600.jpg

[Asimo]

Still taxed.

 

[Coprolalia]

Have you had this from eBay?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393861793180?hash=item5bb3fe059c:g:yb0AAOSwxDVh3F24

[dozeydustman]

Found this on a F*cebook group earlier, doesn’t appear to be in the list.

 

JUV557N

 

[bunglebus]

On 02/01/2022 at 16:21, Asimo said:

Is that the world’s first dashcam crash?

Avenger estate was lucky!

MK1 Escort...

I've not seen that video in years, good find

[ProgRocker]

15 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

 

 

JUV557N

It's a shame BL got rid of that funky Wolseley grille and bonnet profile but in the name cost cutting, needs must. 

[vulgalour]

I think the Wolseley front end on the Princess is really naff.  The Morris and Austin versions on early 18-22 cars is a much better integration of the same idea and doesn't make it look like they were so determined to try and cram a full height grille on a car it doesn't belong on (it's still not great, like, the rationalisation of the model range when it formally became Princess sorted this nonsense out completely happily).  See also Landcrabs, I reckon the Austin and Morris versions of those are far better and cohesive designs than the pinched in Wolseley Six versions.

[bunglebus]

Got this one yet?

[Asimo]

[Asimo]

[vulgalour]

LAR829P is a new one and while I did have JOK986W, the photo I had wasn't as good as the latest.  SUD254X and BFD613T are already on the Wedgister, but it's nice to see them again anyway.

Worth noting perhaps that BFD613T is one of the very few examples of an L trim Princess I'm aware of.

[phil_lihp]

I'd tentatively suggest that the car looks better in L trim without the vinyl and brightwork cluttering it up.  

[Richard_FM]

1 hour ago, phil_lihp said:

I'd tentatively suggest that the car looks better in L trim without the vinyl and brightwork cluttering it up.  

My thoughts too, the police models looked quite smooth with no excess trim & painted white.