The Wedgister - Princess and Ambassador Records

[vulgalour]

That does make it seem more plausible. Looks like someone mashed a Montego, Rover 800, and a Talbot Alpine together so it probably wasn't really that far off the mark and had it been released when the Ambassador was released it would probably have done quite well since it would have been slightly ahead of the curve in terms of design.  I wasn't actually aware of that concept so that's an interesting addition to the story.  Unfortunately the link is coming up as a 404 here.

[adw1977]

That does make it seem more plausible. Looks like someone mashed a Montego, Rover 800, and a Talbot Alpine together so it probably wasn't really that far off the mark and had it been released when the Ambassador was released it would probably have done quite well since it would have been slightly ahead of the curve in terms of design.  I wasn't actually aware of that concept so that's an interesting addition to the story.  Unfortunately the link is coming up as a 404 here.

 

I think I've sorted out the link, but in case I haven't here it is in plain text - www.aronline.co.uk/cars/austin/maestro/concepts-and-prototypes-meet-the-lc-family/

 

The LM 14/15 would certainly never have been planned for launch when the Ambassador was launched in 1982, it would have followed on after the Montego.

[vulgalour]

Yep, link works now.  What might have been.

[flat4alfa]

KGC243T

 

bovingdon raceway,1991. (flickr.com)

princess KGC 243T raced by my uncle rob the, 1700 o-series engine blew its head gasket after the second heat !

 

 

Vehicle make: AUSTIN MORRIS

Date of first registration: May 1979

Year of manufacture: 1979

Cylinder capacity: 1994 cc

Vehicle colour: BROWN

Tax due: 01 October 1990

[flat4alfa]

RJO234N

 

Press Publicity

 

Scan from Autokampioen nr 13 (NL) 28-3-1975

 

 

Vehicle details could not be found

 

[adw1977]

RJO234N

An Austin 1800 base. Buyers who bought one of these instead of the equivalent Morris got lucky when the range was revamped as the Princess because they got the trapezoidal headlights which became associated with the higher spec Princesses.

[flat4alfa]

TIB4796

 

AUSTIN

Ambassador 2.0Hl Hebden (Woodhall Nicholson)

Date of first registration: November 1982

Year of manufacture: 1982

Cylinder capacity: 1994 cc

Vehicle colour: BLACK

Tax due: 01 August 2009

 

[flat4alfa]

RHD528P

 

 

AUSTIN

Hebden (Woodhall Nicholson)

Date of first registration: May 1976

Year of manufacture: 1976

Cylinder capacity: 2227 cc

Vehicle colour: BLACK

Tax due: 01 February 2001

 

[flat4alfa]

OCP87X

 

 

Vehicle details could not be found

 

Kirklees (Woodhall Nicholson)

[adw1977]

OCP78X

 

 

It's OCP87X and Cartell says it was a HLS auto. No DVLA record.

[Craig the Princess]

PRC351X today

 

 

[Datsuncog]

I know I've a few snaps of Ambassadors and Princesses snapped while on holiday in Norfolk in 1996.

Ambassadors of Cromer:

 

GAH248Y

AUSTIN

Ambassador 2.0HLS

Date of first registration: June 1983

Year of manufacture: 1983

Cylinder capacity: 1994 cc

Vehicle colour: GOLD

Tax due: 01 November 1998

 

RNP416Y

AUSTIN

Ambassador 2.0

Date of first registration: February 1983

Year of manufacture: 1983

Cylinder capacity: 1994 cc

Vehicle colour: BEIGE

Tax due: 13 April 2000

 

 

Turns out that the number plate on the only Princess I managed to snap is illegible, so sadly that's not much use to you.

 

Currently checking other publications for Wedges as yet unlisted...

[Datsuncog]

Two more for tonight:

NBW377P
 

AUSTIN

Princess

Date of first registration: October 1975

Year of manufacture: 1975

Cylinder capacity: 1748 cc

Vehicle colour: GOLD

Tax due: 01 October 1984

 

VYY729S

AUSTIN MORRIS

Princess

Date of first registration: July 1978

Year of manufacture: 1978

Cylinder capacity: 1994 cc

Vehicle colour: BLUE

Tax due: 01 January 1989

[adw1977]

VJX803V

 

Pic from Flickr. You already have its twin VJX802V in the register.

[flat4alfa]

VJX803V is already on page 4

 

But I prefer the sexy rear shot 

[flat4alfa]

MOC458R

 

 

No Irish or UK vehicle details were found

 

[flat4alfa]

Thought I'd found another one. Oxford Diecast normally model real cars and they've done models of UOX766S, VRW475S and YBJ243X. The fourth version is a Staffordshire Police car registered LRE750P but sadly that doesn't seem to be a genuine reg as DVLA says it was a Suzuki moped.

 

 

Corgi 'Vanguards' did KDM999T, LYL531X, LCC23 as well as WEL850S which is already on the register. Their current model is of DAD352T, the 'water-tight' Top Gear car which is also on the register not least because half the planet have seen the episode!

 

KDM 999T

AUSTIN MORRIS

PRINCESS HL AUTO

MOT Expired: 19 Jun 2007

Registered 23 January 1979

2227cc

Red

Vehicle has a SORN

 

 

 

LYL 531X

AUSTIN MORRIS

PRINCESS HL AUTO

Tax due: 01 December 1989

Date of first registration: February 1982

1700 cc

BLACK

 

 

 

No Irish or UK vehicle details were found for registration 'LCC23'

 

 

 

WEL 850S

LEYLAND CARS

PRINCESS 1800 HL

Date of first registration: March 1978

1798 cc

GREEN

Tax due: 25 May 2011

Export marker: Yes

 

[flat4alfa]

Dinky did a model in at least two colours, wearing DKY123

 

 

No Irish or UK vehicle details were found for registration DKY123

 

I am not surprised.

[flat4alfa]

Just to be further annoying, I wanted to mention that Heller did a kit, wearing french plate 8899-SN-91, denoting a locality of Department 91 (Essone) south of Paris.

 

[flat4alfa]

Leyland's own publicity films show these two:

 

 

GDA700N

AUSTIN

1800

Tax due: 01 August 1989

Date of first registration: October 1974

1798 cc

BLUE

 

 

GDA701N

MORRIS

1800

Tax due: 01 June 1987

Date of first registration: October 1974

1798 cc

RED

 

 

While the later Princess 2 commercial wore:

 

 

YYW222T

AUSTIN MORRIS

PRINCESS HL AUTO

Tax due: 01 July 1992

Date of first registration: January 1979

1994 cc

RED

 

[Daviemck2006]

I learned to drive and passed my driving test in my Dads 2200hls. TSE599R. It was white with a blue vinyl roof which he bought new in 1977 and traded in for a vauxhall astra in 1981. I was seroiuslt comfortable with its blue velour seats, with armrests on the front seats and had a pushbutton radio! Pure luxury in its day!

 

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[Datsuncog]

What appears to be an original Northern Irish-registered Ambassador, from the Datsuncog Shite Archives.

 

AXI409

 

Oddly, this comes up as 'Vehicle details could not be found', despite the pic being taken only last summer.

 

Maybe it's a trailer queen from over the border; who knows.

 

[flat4alfa]

The plate AXI409 was sold through a broker not long ago, so it's not the original plate for the car.

It is also currently advertised on www.plates4less.co.uk for £955.  The plate that is, not the car.

[Datsuncog]

^^^ Ah, interesting... AXI is a Belfast series from 1982/83, so it would be about age-appropriate for an Ambassador. I'd thought maybe this was a local car, which would be a rare thing!

The car was up for sale when I snapped this last June; can't remember how much for, but it didn't strike me as overly bargainous. Wish I'd found out a bit more about it now... Perhaps it was originally on a GB plate, brought over here and was retrofitted with a NI cherished plate for a short while (that just happened to be the 'right' year), before being separated from it again? If the plate's on retention, that would explain the 'no result' message...

I might put some feelers out locally and see if anyone can fill me in. Cheers!

[alcyonecorporation]

KMA 155T

 

Vehicle make: AUSTIN MORRIS
Date of first registration: March 1979
Year of manufacture: 1979
Cylinder capacity (cc): 1700 cc
CO₂Emissions: Not available
Fuel type: PETROL
Euro Status: Not available
Export marker: No
Vehicle status: Not taxed
Vehicle colour: RED

[Dick Longbridge]

KMA 155T

Scrapped 12th Feb 2013 by the look of it.

[vulgalour]

Yep, it was destined for the oval.  I still have bits of it in my spares stash, it had a surprising amount of useful stuff.  The doors off that car ended up on OKK160W (also now deceased).

[Fabergé Greggs]

I had this back in 2006. 2200 HLS auto. I won it on eBay for £240 as a young and promising shiter.

 

Two hundred and forty quid!!! It was pretty great all things considering. One time I was driving down the great western road in Glasgow and a bloke came up to me holding what turned out to be my wing mirror- turns out he was sitting outside a pub down the road remarking to his mate at my princess- saying how they were the worst cars ever made.. at that moment my wing mirror fell off, much to their hilarity. He picked it up and chased me down the street!

 

Sadly it was sat outside the back of my flat without MOT when some emergency works had to take place and I had no where else to keep it and so it had to go that day- I sold it to a bloke for £75 on the promise that he took it away then and gave the money that afternoon. The fucker never gave me the £75.

 

Other fond memories include the horn switch breaking to “on” and an electrical fire under the bonnet whilst driving down Byres road.. I bailed next to a brand new Audi which the owner wasn’t happy about at all... so I got back in and reversed a little bit with smoke billowing.. it went out prety quick luckily.

 

It also had a massive stereo. 2x12 subs in the boot. I was only 20 something and it was the kind of thing I was into..

 

Oh yeah and foam fell out of holes in the headlining over speed bumps. Happy times.

 

Oh and one other memory.. after the fire the RAC towed me to a garage that had a steep and sharp corner into its yard- the princess jumped off the tow bar and crashed into the back of the RAC van.. the insurance paid for a few little body work bits and bobs thanks to a friendly garage..

[cms206]

Facebook.

 

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[dozeydustman]

There's occasionally a silver Ambassador parked round the corner from me, it's had a new front apron fitted and is a rolling restoration. Not seen it for a couple of weeks now but I'll get you a photo for this archive when I come across it next.