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

[AnthonyG]

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!

Yes, but the petrol tube traps mud and stuff against the metal. Not really an area anybody washes, so tends to rot through after about 8-9 years. Mk3 Fiesta's along seem to be the only really rusty cars left now that all the metros/maestros/montegos have been recycled.The newer Mk4's don't seem to suffer too much, although I did see a truly shocking R reg one at a local auction, brought by the ultimate destitute chav couple (with kid) for £210. Saw it later locally being used without tax. Hope the DVLA had them for it and crushed the beast!

[Baz]

 

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

Beautiful....There's summat about an old M-B isn't there? I've never (yet) owned one, but have nearly succumbed on several occasions....Most recently to a lovely blue W126 300SE, and a W123 hearse (don't ask ) both for peanuts on Ebay!

 

But one thing is for certain....I WILL own a W107 SL one day, before I die!

 

S.L....The car pictured is a W110 series - Available as a 190 (1897cc petrol or 1988cc diesel 4cyl), or a 200 (1988cc petrol or diesel 4cyl) between 1961 and 1968....

 

Not to be confused with the W111 series....Visually very similar, save for twin (one on top of the other) headlamps, and available with larger (220, 230, 250, 280 etc...) 6 cyl (I think!) engines. The W111 was also available in sexy pillarless coupe & convertible versions....

[retrogeezer]

I believe you - I keep looking for a tidy Mk2 - but it has to be a 1.1 poverty spec as these are the only ones I ever owned.....

I'm keeping mine......

 

[r.welfare]

A properly kept, unchavved 1.3 Supersport, which yours certainly is, is a sight to behold. Good work! Personally, I'd love a '77 1.3S with 'sensible' engine mods for the sleeper look

[Spottedlaurel]

Superb post, as always, except that 3 or 4 of the pics are just showing as red Xs on my screen.

Very odd - fine on the PC at home where I uploaded them from (using FF) but I had 3-4 missing at work, also using FF as my browser. Perhaps they've installed some kind of filter against the worst excesses of this place? :DBaz, thanks for the M-B info - saved me digging round trying to find my C&S A-Z etc book (not 100% accurate in any case).Nice Supersport Retrogeezer, only recently I used to see a black one regularly run by a guy who also has several Minis. Made a nice little time-warp when I saw it coming the other way as I drove my V-plate 240K following a caramel-coloured W-plate 924 Turbo.

[retrogeezer]

Thanks...I do need to change the numberplates tho'!

 

 

A couple of spots from me.......shite B reg bike:

 

 

[Baz]

Mmmmm....Another mouth-watering Merc!

 

Is it my eyes, or shadows on the photo, or are those rear arches not quite the correct shape?

[retrogeezer]

hehehe - it looks better in the photo than in actually is....very cool tho'

[MrRegieRitmo]

A properly kept, unchavved 1.3 Supersport, which yours certainly is, is a sight to behold. Good work! Personally, I'd love a '77 1.3S with 'sensible' engine mods for the sleeper look

Could this be the thing? I expect you'd like it a bit bigger! It may have 'sensible' engine mods but I'm afraid I can't tell as the bonnet doesn't open!

 

Just one of my many thousands of 'miniature' autoshite! Ask me, and I've probably got one somewhere!

 

 

 

It does actually say 1300 S on the side, but I'm afraid I don't have anything that takes decent close up pictures!

[Bstardchild]

A couple of spots from me.......shite B reg bike:

 

Corking bikes owned loads of em years ago

 

- daytime usage only 6V lighting!!!!

 

- Will do 65+ mpg however it's driven

 

- flat out about 65 mph

 

Don't like corners much

[Marty]

I believe you - I keep looking for a tidy Mk2 - but it has to be a 1.1 poverty spec as these are the only ones I ever owned.....

I'm keeping mine......

Yeah, but that one is tooooooo luxurious - you wants a nice 1.1 popular or if you are really pushing the boat out, a Pop Plus!

[r.welfare]

Is that the one made by Detail Cars? Even though the photo is well fuzzy, it looks to be an excellent model.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Indeed it is! Also have a Fiesta L base model in light blue by them too, chrome bumpers n all! Solido now use the casting but without the same effort!

What actually is the difference between a 1.3S & a Supersport? They look the same to me. Perhaps like the difference between a Citroen Saxo VTR & a Citroen Saxo VTS! They look the same, they both have a 1.6 injection, yet a VTR is only group 7 insurance, and the VTS?.......GROUP 14!!! Makes no sense to me!

 

Can anybody recommend a camera that will do good close up shots? My camera & camera phone aren't up to the job, and I have so many models of autoshite to show you!

[Baz]

What actually is the difference between a 1.3S & a Supersport? They look the same to me.

I'm ready to be corrected here, but I think the 1.3S was introduced in the late '70s (1977?) marking also, the introduction of the 1.3 engine in the Fiesta....Visually, the S was pretty standard save for black bumpers and stripe I think, and from memory I think the interior may have used different colours/materials while remaining pretty standard in design. Mechanically, I think the S may have used a different final drive ratio from "lesser" models, and had it's suspension midly uprated via the addition of extra anti-roll protection....In esscence though, a standard Fiesta with a stripe!

 

The Supersport (a'la Retrogeezer) was introduced a little later (around 1980 I think), I imagine as a "test of the market" prior to the introduction of the XR2....Visually it is distinguished from the S by it's front (and rear?) spoiler, wheelarch extensions, body graphics, black window surrounds and alloy wheels....I don't know if the driving lamps and sunroof came as standard, or as options. Interior was jazzed up further with splendid tartan sports seats (as seen on Retrogeezer's little beauty) dark materials, red trim around the dials?....And I think extra instrumentation. Mechanically the suspension was lowered/uprated, and I would imagine the engine/transmission must've been tweaked too, but I've no idea what was done....

 

All of the above is from memory (I had a lot of Ford brochures in my youth )....I'm sure Retrogeezer will put me right if I've got it round me neck!

[Spottedlaurel]

I'd love to see a 1300S nowadays. Just hooked a Ford all model brochure out of the box next to me, Jan '78 with a yellow one on the cover. Some lovely shots inside, nice pic of the Cadiz trimmed interior (vertical stripes), but dashboard still looks a bit spartan. They did an 1100S too, but stripes on that just said S so you didn't shout about your tightfistedness too loudly (apart from to people like us).

 

Not a great deal new stuff from this last week......

 

 

Oddly, the Passat that was parked next to this had the same plate

 

 

1300 on a D, can't recall seeing any/many that old.

 

 

Classy! Even I wouldn't dare call my house anything like either of these.

 

 

Oh dear, rather poorly resolved vinyl roof arrangement. Rear wiper too

 

 

Seth will probably know what sort of Bond this is - I'm guessing Herald-based, it sat on skinny steels with simple hub caps. Sorry, couldn't get a better shot than this.

 

 

Pov-spec Delta of this age seemed an unusual sight to me.

 

 

 

Difficult to get a decent shot of this yard, seemed to contain at least half a dozen Land Rovers, plus Range Rover, Shogun and assorted odd stuff. Alstons lorry body is a nice sight for me (and Baz?) with local interest - think they were furniture makers in Ipswich, but could never work out if they were connected with wonderful toy shop of the same name in Sudbury.

 

 

Finally, as must be posted only with the words 'Something for Baz', nice W107 300SL. Think it may have belonged to one of the Londoners who descend upon Norfolk and Suffolk at the weekend.

[seth]

That'd be a Bond GT4S. 1300 spitfire engine I think. When new they came with super cool bucket seats and a Les Leston steering wheel, now generally worth more than a whole car in shabby condition.

[MrRegieRitmo]

I'd love to see a 1300S nowadays. Just hooked a Ford all model brochure out of the box next to me, Jan '78 with a yellow one on the cover. Some lovely shots inside, nice pic of the Cadiz trimmed interior (vertical stripes), but dashboard still looks a bit spartan. They did an 1100S too, but stripes on that just said S so you didn't shout about your tightfistedness too loudly (apart from to people like us).

 

Not a great deal new stuff from this last week......

 

 

Oddly, the Passat that was parked next to this had the same plate

 

 

 

Don't suppose that Passat you mentioned was also an ancient one was it? I presume not otherwise you would have included a photo of it! One of my favourite oldies, the Mark 1 Passat! So so rare too!

[r.welfare]

There's a bloke round this way who had a Mk1 white Passat 2 door on eBay a few times, Mr_Bo11ox and Mr Pogweasel may recall this from another forum's 'eBaywatch' thread due to the ridiculously high reserve/start price and poor photo skills. I wonder if he still has it...Mk1 Passats are ace indeed. My infant school teacher had one (S-reg). Much more popular round my way at the time was the Mk1 Audi 80 (basically the same car) - must have been 2 dozen on the estate where we lived at one time. All rotted to pieces by now though, no doubt.

[pompei]

That Delta is lovely! Looks in right good fettle too!

[Baz]

Wow....That's a particularly fine & evocative selection this week S.L, brings back lots of memories & causes modern day stirrings too!

 

My dad owned two white VW Type3 Variants (At the same time....Sound familiar S.L? )....One a 1600 Auto, the other an 1800 injection, both slightly later, with the longer snout....I've vivid memories of being allowed to travel almost every where in the boot (as was my preference in those days for some reason ) but having to cling on to the back of the rear seat in one of them as the tailgate wouldn't latch shut, and would come open every time we hit a bump....Great Fun at the time, but in retrospect I can't help but wonder if my parents were trying to get rid of me?

 

Around the same time, my mum had a Triumph 1300 which had been hand-painted ORANGE!!!!....I'm sure that was on a D-Plate too....Think it succumbed to rusty subframes in the end....

 

The GT4S is my favourite of the Bond Equipes....Rear end styling is particularly nice, especially in comparison with the later, larger engined cars with their ridiculous overhangs!

I read somewhere once, that in order to gain some publicity for the GT4S, Bond loaned out a fleet of them for the grand opening of a major new section of the M6 motorway....Presumably anticipating that their product would be emblazoned across the newspapers the next day....Unfortunately, Winston Churchill chose that particular moment to curl up his toes & die, so poor ol' Bond didn't get a look in! Don't know if that's true or just a myth!

 

I remember the Alstons lorries too....The big green bodies, usually mounted onto summat like a Bedford TK with a white cab, if my memory serves? I always kind've assumed that the lorries and the shop in North St. were part of the same empire!

 

And another great SL from S.L! Can't say that I've ever seen a black one before....Used to think mine would be white, but now I'm not so sure!

[55bloke]

 

Can anybody recommend a camera that will do good close up shots? My camera & camera phone aren't up to the job, and I have so many models of autoshite to show you!

Depends how much you want to spend. Most digital cameras have zoom facility, but macro (close-up) is not so common. I have an Olympus which is VERY good, but not cheap. Though, it's several years old now, so could probably get one second hand. More details if you're interested.

[Spottedlaurel]

And another great SL from S.L! Can't say that I've ever seen a black one before....Used to think mine would be white, but now I'm not so sure!

Nice to know they're appreciated That SL was more of a very, very dark blue IIRC. Took a close-up piccy of the badge for future avatar use....

[Baz]

Well whatever the colour S.L....That SL is just SEX!

 

My camera....You know, the one that gets hardly any use cos I'm too much of a pussy to take pics of cars on private property/in driveways....Is a Vivitar ViviCam 3780s....A tiny little thing (approx 90x55x25mm)....It takes good pictures, has 4xDigital zoom, and has a little switch for close-up work....Cost £47 from Asda!

[55bloke]

BARGAIN!!

[outlaw118]

Has that been lowered or is it knackered do we think?

[Spottedlaurel]

Hmmm, just checked up on the VW 1600 and DVLA says....The vehicle details for 10 SF are:Date of Liability 01 03 2007Date of First Registration 14 07 1999Year of Manufacture 1968Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1598CCCO2 Emissions Not AvailableFuel Type PetrolExport Marker Not ApplicableVehicle Status Licence Not DueVehicle Colour REDSo, it's an import. Then checked details for Passat and it turned out to be 1 OSF. Effectively they have matching numbers! However it was just a new one - fear not, if had been anything up to the 80's model you'd have seen it here.

[Spottedlaurel]

If late 80's stuff is of no interest then there will be little here to appeal - this selection is actually edited down from everything I saw (I'll keep the rest for posterity).

 

 

Another week, another odd Scirocco derivative. Surprising how many they did of a relatively low-volume car. Storm version of MkII had escaped my notice, I knew about the MkI.

 

 

Do we do 21's yet? When I first drove past there was one, came back and there was another. Surely this situation is where the 20 was 10-15 years ago?

 

 

Who knows what's here? One or two fairly ordinary things, but what's under the tarp? Sadly couldn't get any closer/higher.

 

 

Something for Marty. Another Lidl special.

 

 

Cheeky little set of Dunlops (IIRC) on this one, wistfully looking towards Lidl 'cos it knows that's where it should be.

 

 

I like 309's. Crashed my pre-facelift one fairly dramatically when I was 21 and it was still quite new.

 

 

Suspect this is nowehere near as nice as shiny paint suggests from a quick glance.

 

 

Posh shite! This Bentley got more interesting as I got nearer - soggy tyres, mouldy bumpers, peeling paint and just a hint of weed growth on the gravel all there, tax disc expired in early 2004. Was at a hotel well used for weddings, perhaps they forgot about it?

 

 

Ooh, decisions decisions. What would you choose from this depressing selection of G-plate dross? J-plate Rover seems a bit of an interloper in this motley bunch.

 

 

Vanette hiding in the corner of place above was just getting nicely mouldy.

 

http://img61.imageshack.us/img61/756/imgp1692xm8.jpg

 

Scene alert!

 

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/2806/imgp1690qh7.jpg

 

Cracking showroom on this place. Oddly, they rarely have anything in it despite still flogging new stuff.

 

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/8963/imgp1691yl5.jpg

 

As is the law round these parts, they have a white Vanette lurking around. Don't know what to make of the E30 wagon, especially a pov-spec-ish looking one like this. They just kind of exist. 6-pot one would be nice though.

 

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/8738/imgp1697np6.jpg

 

Any pedants out there care to agree with me that this facelift Passat shouldn't be wearing these wheels?

 

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/1423/imgp1698av5.jpg

 

Interior of this tatty 205 was a crap-fest, full of junk.

 

http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5194/imgp1699jr9.jpg

 

This was a 300SEL, oddly at the same place as the 300SL last week. Probably good for a long while yet, looked very tidy.

 

http://img159.imageshack.us/img159/4218/imgp1700bi6.jpg

 

Brambles taking over, Panda hiding behind. Note also caravans, and I wondered if there was anything else hiding in the undergrowth? Near here there's an amazing semi-derelict house occupied by an old bloke who only cycles but has loads of stuff stashed away around it. Until recently he was actively buying more too

 

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/5862/imgp1701cw3.jpg

 

I do like these, though they seem slightly overbodied with huge overhangs.

 

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5514/imgp1703na8.jpg

 

I see this tranquil scene every morning on the way to work.

 

More to follow.

[Spottedlaurel]

This lot from a quick foray down to Suffolk yesterday. Baz may reconise some of the locations.....

 

 

Mrs SL getting quite handy with the action shots now. She reckons the bloke clocked her with the camera as he kept looking at us.

 

 

Another Hiace camper! They also had a Montego here, and in the past there was a 100A and a Triumph 2000/2500. I know Baz has also encountered the people who live here, I've spoken with them before but this time I just snapped and ran

 

 

Strangely, although there was a Subaru dealers in my home village where I found this it actually came from elsewhere. This might be quite a late one before Legacy and Impreza took over and expanded the range?

 

 

I believe this one is from the village garage, however. These people always have some sort of Fiat on the drive, think they are part Italian. Can recall more interesting stuff from years gone by.

 

Failing light on the way home prevented shots of a Ford A-series

 

Next week's update may contain exciting things from in and around Watford?

[retrogeezer]

Thats a 2CV Beachcomber if my memory serves me correctly!I wonder if Vauxhall are thinking of sueing Kia as that new shape Rio is very Astra like from the front and the rear.

[Bstardchild]

Thats a 2CV Beachcomber if my memory serves me correctly!

It is and I think it was launched to co-incide with the french entry into the Americas cupoh how sad