Spotted's Spottings (2024 France holiday #5 06/10/2024)

[renault25]

 

 

And WTF is going on with that rear door?

 

It seems to hinge entirely from the bottom.

That is truly bizarre!! Yet it looks like it has a seam down the centre, below the window, like it's been cobbled together from 2 van doors?!

If it's in original nick, there's a canvas concertina on the inside. Door hinges outwards, canvas unfolds and voila, extra legroom for when you've got the beds made up!

 

Why do I know this stuff?

[55bloke]

Good question......... beats me!!

[seth]

Mmmm, Tasty Jowett! I fancy one of them just bacause of their engineering quirkyness.

[pompei]

My dad had one long before I was born. He said it was the best car he ever had ... (I took him to the Jowett centenary at Bradford shortly before he died, but forgot my camera, to my everlasting chagrin.)I guess that must have been in the context of its era. But then again, he did have some dodgy motors in his time - Marina, Ford Pop, Fiat 850, to name a few, so the Javelin probably stood up well in comparison.

[renault25]

I remember a classic mag calling it the 3-series BMW of it's day, which seemed like a fair comparison.

[Spottedlaurel]

That Jowett surprised as to how big it was - certainly looked roomy inside. My step-dad talks fondly of one he used to have when it was just an old,cheap car.

 

Another selection of bilge with the odd shite gem chucked in......

 

 

 

Late 80's Fords. Don't seem to see early facelift Sierras so much nowadays, those I do see are the clear indicator jobbies.

 

 

A fairly recent Legend, but still with an aura of shite about it that most big Japanese cars here tend to have. Looks like he's rumbled me.....

 

 

Cracking little Thames conversion.

 

 

Look the other way! My daughter clearly not realising the quality of what's behind her.

 

 

Taxi wistfully looking out across the water. It belonged the man who operated the ferry across the river, I didn't pay him......

 

 

Despite its MG badges, the J-plate and odd grille/bonnet suggest dodgy kit car. Anyone guess what it might be?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

That 'MG' is horrible, wrong wrong wrong.I think its an 'RMB Gentry' built on a spitfire chassis.

[Spottedlaurel]

 

Tidy Transit, sat near to an old Ford dealers which is now closed up. Would be a great shite forecourt but doubtless it'll become super expensive second houses for the London weekenders who love this bit of Suffolk coast Still, there's a good scrapyard in the town.

 

 

Invisible repairs #1.

 

 

This place looks like it's shut now, again to be redeveloped?

 

 

Took this 'Jim-off-Eastenders' Traveller more the number plate.

 

 

Now we're talking real estates. Rusty Lada parked at Lidl. Life doesn't get much better eh?

 

 

Bluebird, tidy as they often seem to be even at 20 years old.

 

 

Don't often see LS Capris. Got rumbled properly on this one, had to explain why I was taking pictures of it

 

 

Early for one of these? Having told the guy his lights were left on discovered he was called Julian, which just made me think of that 80's Ford van advert - something about every Tom, Dick and Julian having one.

[Spottedlaurel]

 

Nice Victor.

 

 

Invisible repair #2. Watton provided a fine selection of C and D-plate bilge.

 

 

Turbo wheels?

 

 

 

See, mid-80's stuff everywhere.

 

 

 

Check the fender skirts! Apologies to anyone who's already seen it on R-R.

 

 

Finally, an early MkII Fiesta - posting this is my penance for not having time to photograph an R-plate MkI I saw earlier in the day.

[pompei]

Those Nissan skirts are just the business! Quality workmanship, you'd never guess that it didn't come out the factory like that

[pogweasel]

Is the 924 not an hactual Turbo then?5-stud wheel fitment is the clue... pretty sure boggo LT-van-engined (ROFLMAO) 924's were 4-stud 108mm.... Darnit! I am so mega sad!!!!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Fantastic photos as alwyas SL, really good. I particularly like the rusty Lidl Lada (geddit? ) I imagine the owner to be a pasty-faced 50-yr old buck-teethed geezer who is a council 'workman' (do they exist any more?) probably buying cheap biscuits, anaemic 'Krunchy Pops' breakfast cereal and 'Here Boy!' premuim own-brand dog food. He will be with his equally pasty-faced tubby wife who wears a skirt and trainers.

[renault25]

Yet more good stuff!I always fancied a Prairie - ideal for carrying your mates, bikes, camping kit etc without the desperate-I-wanna-be-a-surfer-ness of a Vee-Dub......

[retrogeezer]

whats R-R??? Another autoshite website?

[Paul H]

whats R-R??? Another autoshite website?

www.retro-rides.com Sadly though, the forum is playing silly buggers at the moment

[r.welfare]

Is the 924 not an hactual Turbo then?5-stud wheel fitment is the clue... pretty sure boggo LT-van-engined (ROFLMAO) 924's were 4-stud 108mm.... Darnit! I am so mega sad!!!!

Think they're interchangeable - mate of mine has an '85 4-cylinder non-blower spakamatic 924 (yeah, good choice...!) and that has Turbo wheels. I'll have to check if they're 4 or 5-stud, mind.

[Baz]

 

Bluebird, tidy as they often seem to be even at 20 years old.

....To me, it seems that Norwich and the surrounding area has an abnormally high quantity of surviving (and usually very tidy) T12/T72 Bluebirds....Have You noticed this S.L???

[mk2_craig]

 

Finally, an early MkII Fiesta - posting this is my penance for not having time to photograph an R-plate MkI I saw earlier in the day.

ooh, me likey - even though these are starting to get seriously thin on the ground now in most parts of the country, nobody believes me when I say one day Fiestas will be sought after in the same way as old Minis are today

[Spottedlaurel]

To me, it seems that Norwich and the surrounding area has an abnormally high quantity of surviving (and usually very tidy) T12/T72 Bluebirds....Have You noticed this S.L???

Certainly have, the dealerships here at the time (and there were two in town, if not three for a while) obviously did a good job. Unless abused they seem to hang together well, and there are enough around that I certainly don't photograph every one I see (ditto N13 Sunny/Pulsar range).Maybe up here people aren't as concerned about flashy stuff so if a car does a good job they'll hang onto it? Certainly noticed that on our hol's down in Kent/Sussex borders there was much less from this era.However, I suspect that with oval tracks at Swaffham, Yarmouth, King's Lynn and Ipswich numbers will go down a bit round here as racers buy them up. As a banger they are strong and seem to go well, though Primera P10 is becoming a popular tool for them to race.Mk2_craig, glad you liked the Fiesta! I was gutted not have time for the early MkI, local plate but not seen it around before.

[Baz]

(ditto N12 Sunny/Pulsar range)

Come on now S.L....You're confusing me now....Did You mean N13 Sunny/Pulsar range? I thought the N12 was a Cherry for this market? Is my memory playing tricks on me? Am I finally losing it altogether?

 

One Nissan that I do remember being quite plentiful a while back, but haven't seen (in the metal) for a while, is the B11 Sunny (like the little white beauty spotted by R25 recently)....I remember being in love with one of those around the Sudbury area in my youth - It was a pale metallic green, usually sporting a roofrack, and it had some rather unusual alloy wheels (Zender?) that You were more used to seeing on tarted Golfs at the time....I think the reg was *** 1Y, or something a bit unusual anyway. Wonder if it still exists....

 

I drove a D-Reg Sunny 1.5 SGL "Spirit" when I was in the motor trade....Delightful little car! My bidding finger always gets a bit twitchy if I spot one on Ebay....Especially if it's a coupe!

[Spottedlaurel]

Oh, the shame of it! Yes, I mean N13 and post edited accordingly……I agree with you about the B11 – there’s a white estate on Aylsham Road and that’s about all I’ve seen in Norwich recently. Had a tidy beige coupe I bought from Queens Garage in Sudbury back in 1989, then a tatty silver 1.3 saloon bought in 1992 which did 42,000 miles in the following two years.I bought a Y-plate fastback estate (my personal favourite from the range) last year, but it was too far gone and got broken then raced. Very tidy saloon just recently changed hands through the Datsun forum, appropriately it’s now owned by the lad who has the very first Sunny bought into the country in 1968 (as previously owned by Ratdat!).

[Spottedlaurel]

Blimey, been quiet on here recently hasn't it? Wonder if anyone is out there to see these?

 

 

Posted before, but view now unhindered by scene-bus.

 

 

Tatty but apparently still used on the farm where Nick ( my bodywork friend, and builder of VW-engined Minor pickup Mogwhy) has his new workshop.

 

 

One of my favourite sites, Lidl. Been seeing this round for years after bloke who had it did some plastering, always thought it looked tidy but seems to be suffering now.

 

 

Another 80's VW. Missing centre caps on some wheels only helped its appeal.

 

 

Aah, cutesy stickers make this Fiesta so much more endearing, don't they?

 

 

Posted these Fiestas before, but what amused me was how they've built the scaffolding around them.

 

 

Mouldy bodykitted Granada. Even though there's something odd about the bonnet I do have a sneaky fondness for early MkIII's.

 

 

 

Having stood for nine years this Mini was at my local garage for a bit of work in readines for use as a second car. Hmmm, a lot maybe? Still, nice to see an old one as the detailing is so much cuter, nice stance too!

[seth]

Hmm, the cute stickers on the Fiesta have me wondering wether the stain below the fuel cap is really manky fuel dribble or not?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Nothing better than an old mini thats stood for 9 years! Pass the hydrolastic pump!

[Spottedlaurel]

A few seen in and around the auction yesterday.....

 

 

Tidy M-B, haven't got a clue what model/series.

 

 

Gah, I always struggle taking pic's of white cars on grass.

 

 

Non-mouldy MkIII.

 

 

Hmmm, should Allegros have red tape on the front bumpers? Or am I thinking of Volvos that, logically, had white front and red rear?

 

 

This was apparently a Trojan. Fairly mad-looking.

 

 

Couldn't really stay and keep track of auction prices on the cars, this seemed to suit us here more than anything else.

 

 

J-plate MG, looked tidy.

 

 

Nice little spread showing the sort of stuff in the car park. They really should do a classics only parking area as the seem to at Newark, but then would they let in some of what we'd want to see?!

 

 

A Bo11ox-mobile!

 

 

Hyundai, X2? I'm quite open-minded, but even I find this a but on the rubbish side. Still, Korean/Malaysian cars are probably how most people used to see Japanese stuff 10-15 years ago, so in the future?..........

 

http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/491/imgp1459nf3.jpg

 

Lovely, I do like MkIII Cortinas. Despite looking 2000E-ish this one is only badged as a 1.6.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Nice truck! he's copying my RH wing to gaffa tape trick also. Great trucks these, I would have actually started a relationship with mine if the radiator had not just let go.

[Heidel_Kakao]

I am pretty sure that All-Aggro shouldn't have that red tape on the front, mine hasn't but it does have the tape on the rear bumper also like the one above.

 

If it was a quad lamp HLS like the brochure pic below it would have had grey tape on!

 

 

Maybe someone has put another rear bumper on it (are they the same? must check) or more likely someone at Longbridge did it for a laugh.

[55bloke]

Superb post, as always, except that 3 or 4 of the pics are just showing as red Xs on my screen. Has anyone else noticed that lots of Fiestas seem to rot around the petrol filler? Seems odd, given that you'd expect the petrol to keep water at bay!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I think that the Allegro was deliberately given a bumper with that profile, so that the crazy old geezers who often bought them would have somewhere to put some red/reflective tape.

[Marty]

[/quotenobody believes me when I say one day Fiestas will be sought after in the same way as old Minis are today