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The Wedgister - Princess and Ambassador Records


vulgalour

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The 2000 ST was done by a Princess club bloke named Jim something - it was in a Retro Cars magazine(the first iteration one) and I saw it at the NEC about 6-7 years ago on the Princess OC stand. It had much better wheels on originally .

 

It was this Jim's idea of what a sporty Princess would have been like if BL had done it back in the day.

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My two:

RedPrincess-vi.jpg

VTX 481S was a 2.2 automatic, registered the day after I passed my test! :shock: I'm pretty sure it's long-gone now.

Ouch-vi.jpg

HCK 333W was a triple-black 2.0, and I loved it. However it's definitely dead, having been attacked by a VW Polo on the way to work one morning in December 1990.

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@eddy: Your red one is the first one I've come across so far listed as a Vanden Plas. Looks like the black one is sadly gone, it was last taxed when it was crashed so I would expect that means it's gone to the big bailer in the sky.

 

@trigger: That's filled in a couple of gaps for me, looks like some registrations are moved onto other things (a Yam bike and a Beemer, of all things) but that some are long gone.

 

@Cavette: I'll need to buy an anorak first... you have reminded me of the two a local taxi firm used my brother told me about, I think they were too far gone to rescue and it was well before I got mine.

 

@AnthonyG: I've read the story over on the Princess forum, it looks like it started out initially as a dealership "OMYGAWDBUYTHISFFS!" and sat around for a while before the purchaser did something interesting with it.

 

I'm just putting the new finds through the list and I'll edit the post on page 2 with my new findings. Off to a pretty good start with this. I've spoken to another friend about trying to get an easier-to-browse page set up, so we'll see what comes of that.

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Captain Slow, this is indeed the same car. Parked in a side street within a mile of the Racecourse!

 

 

And I drove straight past!

 

 

 

*Weeps in shame*

 

 

 

 

 

Next time I'm in Doncaster I'm gonna have a look. Tell your mate not to be too alarmed if a tall bloke with a big nose and a Montego starts gawping at his car!

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The 2000 ST was done by a Princess club bloke named Jim something - it was in a Retro Cars magazine(the first iteration one) and I saw it at the NEC about 6-7 years ago on the Princess OC stand. It had much better wheels on originally .

 

It was this Jim's idea of what a sporty Princess would have been like if BL had done it back in the day.

 

 

Kevin Davis actually...

 

First it wore Stag wheels, then Ambo VP ones. Not sure when the 600ti ones went on...

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Finally got the list properly updated, had a few duplicates that I've stripped out of my files and the useful links for checking registrations managed to locate and decypher some of the mysteries on there. Not bad. By my reckoning, I've found 27 roadworthy examples. I'm sure I've missed a few as well, there's at least one other that's burgundy with alloys that should be on that list but a picture of it is evading me. There's some I've seen in spotted threads too, but I'll trawl those another time.

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Patrick McGoohan drove a Princess in the '79 film The Hard Way. It was gold or bronze and had similar decals/stripes to Volksangyl's car. And a missing driver's mirror.

The Irish plates don't seem to be too visible...

 

 

EDIT: It might even be the same colour as Volksangyl's car.

Its a 1700HL and the plate is KIY 857. Which Cartell can't find...

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Not been able to find the reg for the Dirk Gently car yet, when I do I'll check it against what's on the list but I don't think it's on there yet. Patrick McGoohan's is also not on the list, and is not my car as mine is GBT563W rather than KIY857. Another one for me to find and update with. Been given a few over on the Princess forum to add, and found a couple of expired eBay listings to add as well.

 

Not doing to badly so far, I just wish I could find more pictures/info of the ones that are on the road rather than finding so many that are probably extinct.

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@eddy: Your red one is the first one I've come across so far listed as a Vanden Plas.

 

Really? And all this time I just thought it was a 2200 HL, or possibly HLS (memory fade... :oops: ). It was automatic, I remember that, and the box wasn't very good. I think the lad who bought it converted it to manual.

 

The black one was definitely a write-off. I was paid-out for it in early 1991 and bought my Mk5 Cortina (2.0GL auto) which I loved. I'd certainly have another Princess at the right price, but I'll tell you something: I haven't seen, or even heard of, even one in Cyprus!.

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Yours was a top end 2200 HLS auto, which could be why it was registered as a Vanden Plas, some dealers didn't seem to want to switch over to an organised and unified front under the BL banner. Still peculiar though, the Wolseley variant of the Princess had more in common with a Vanden Plas badge than the HLS did.

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Wasn't there a sickening story to the white Wolsely (sp?) on the trailer picture further up this page? I'm sure I recall reading it was offered round for sale but no-one took it on and it was binned. That or the seller was a grade A knob polisher and wanted a stupid amount for it. Or possibly neither of them and I'm still pissed from Saturday.

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The return from the Outwell judges

Out housemate's Morris 1800 Manual (KPV 537P) - Last seen starting Richieg's fso. Apparently being sold to a member of the autoshite parish.

6654129309_f7b193bf7a_z.jpg

 

My 100 club special (on the left) (PRC 351X). 2200 auto, needs some welding and an exhaust. Maybe 2013, we'll see.

Both were at the Lupin Farm show last year (mine on a trailer)

1zmh1rd.jpg

 

(And if you want Ambassadors)

tamoao.jpg

1.7L manual - PWE 506X. Now Moted, had quite a bit of welding in 2009.

 

ay0e9g.jpg

1.7 HL manual - A280 VUK - needs a lot of welding, quote received but house move caused postponement. Will see the road again.

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@Cavette: I don't know the story behind trailer-Princess, but what you said rings a bell. Up until relatively recently it seems to be the case that nobody has wanted to save Princesses as they've been considered of little to no worth, but with the rise in popularity in the Allegro, there seems also to be a rise in the popularity (and price tags) of the Princess. They still don't make megabucks, but public opinion is definitely on the swing towards the positive now that the Princess is over 30.

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They still don't make megabucks, but public opinion is definitely on the swing towards the positive now that the Princess is over 30.

 

Almost anything old and wacky is on the up, and the Princess shape was finalised in 1970. Here in Sheffield quite a few young blades drive old stuff - I see a white Datsun 120Y on alloys and the most immaculate Modena green Cortina Mark 3, a 1969 BMW 2000 and a tidy 1974 Marina 1800 Super but, as yet, no Princess.

 

Ambastardor? Good parts scource but to me, they do not exist. Horrible looking thing. :lol:

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Gyl there's a Princess near me, but the bloke went mental when I tried to get a shot of it. Perhaps the 300mm £17 TANK CANNON lens will be employed this afternoon.

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@rev: Clearly, you've not been in the same parts of Sheffield as I have in the beige bus. Sheffield was my stomping ground for seven years until recently and I think that white Datsun you mention belongs to the Motornutz club.

 

@wat: I don't understand folk blowing a gasket when you take a picture of stuff that is clearly visible. They don't go as mental if you write down what you can see, but agreed, tank cannon is probably the way forward... perhaps followed with a thank you note for allowing you to take a picture of his car, just to wind him up.

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Wasn't there a sickening story to the white Wolsely (sp?) on the trailer picture further up this page? I'm sure I recall reading it was offered round for sale but no-one took it on and it was binned. That or the seller was a grade A knob polisher and wanted a stupid amount for it. Or possibly neither of them and I'm still pissed from Saturday.

 

Maybe a different one, the white on page 3 is a Morris owned by a senior bod at Jaguar - Land Rover along with various other interesting BL tat (A very early TR7 springs to mind).

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