Spotted's Spottings (20th Anniversary Weekend update #6)

[Spottedlaurel]

More....

Belgian S-Class makes for a neat comparison with the LS400.

A beige 104, just parked-up. Fantastic. Looks like it might have sat somewhere for a while - I think that spray on the wheel and tyre would have extended down to the ground, and is used by the authorities to tell whether a car is in use or has been abandoned.

Just an everyday car.

Tidy facelift Safrane. Saw a pre-facelift model on the road, but they certainly weren't as common as XMs this year.

Do like these Accord Coupes, but maybe not this one...

 

Couple of vans parked-up in the same hilltop village.

Funky paintwork.

Don't remember seeing a Santana with this front end styling before.

406 was rather battered. Didn't see too many others, nor 405s for that matter.

This final batch for today all at the same rural garage:

18!

 

This would end up being the only BX I photographed.

Hmmm, now wondering about the angular car beyond the recovery truck.

[mk2_craig]

1 hour ago, Spottedlaurel said:

the angular car beyond the recovery truck

305 break?

[Spottedlaurel]

30 minutes ago, mk2_craig said:

305 break?

Looks like it!

[Spottedlaurel]

Had to have a break in proceedings due to getting a new PC, but all back up and running and old drives transferred so I can carry on......

Another of those bits of exotica that we didn't get in the UK, 5-door Corolla hatchback! But they may have missed out on the swoopy Liftback version that we had?

Looked tidy for a Mk3.

Terrible photo, but I can assure you there is a 1980s Civic in here.

Didn't see a huge amount of Lagunas.

This worked out nicely for a hastily taken shot out of the car window by one of my passengers, with Mont Ventoux in the background of a smart Coupe.

Fuego!

A few Nivas seen during the two weeks away.

Carina E used for taxi duties one evening and found another old car friend.

What I think is a Maserati Mistral sounded great driving through a village, just managed to jump and get a couple of photos as we sat and had a meal.

K10 at a place that seemed to have one or two other older/more unusual cars around, like the 156.

Seen the odd one of these over the years, but vastly outnumbered by the French competition.

Saw one or two others at various garages on our travels, good that they're still around and in use.

Nearly at the end now, just one more episode to come.

[bangernomics]

More....

Belgian S-Class makes for a neat comparison with the LS400.

A beige 104, just parked-up. Fantastic. Looks like it might have sat somewhere for a while - I think that spray on the wheel and tyre would have extended down to the ground, and is used by the authorities to tell whether a car is in use or has been abandoned.

Just an everyday car.

Tidy facelift Safrane. Saw a pre-facelift model on the road, but they certainly weren't as common as XMs this year.

Do like these Accord Coupes, but maybe not this one...

 

Couple of vans parked-up in the same hilltop village.

Funky paintwork.

Don't remember seeing a Santana with this front end styling before.

406 was rather battered. Didn't see too many others, nor 405s for that matter.
This final batch for today all at the same rural garage:

18!

 

This would end up being the only BX I photographed.

Hmmm, now wondering about the angular car beyond the recovery truck.

Looks 305 ish

[Spottedlaurel]

Last instalment of the non-show spots, basically the journey home:

Only other Carina E seen during the fortnight away.

4-door Mk1 Escort and Mini Cooper S were the main things that caught my eye here, but the angular creation on the parking lift is an oddity, maybe something used in film/TV work?

@Schaefft comes to mind with this one. Saw it at the services with its bonnet up, seemingly just a precautionary measure on a hot day. Good-looking car aren't they?

They left only just before us but it took a fair while to catch them up.

 

Honda City that we didn't get.

 

Last couple of proper French spots. RG 106 not something I've seen very often, if ever?

As seems to have happened a few times, the last thing seen at the (very busy) tunnel terminal was UK-registered. This van was one of a number of 2CVs that were heading back.

At some point I'll get a few of the show/meet photos on here, otherwise that's it for 2025. Accommodation already booked for 2026 and plans are being made for a week's travelling either side as there are so many things we want to see that we've missed on previous years.

[Schaefft]

Chrysler Vision, one day I might still own one.

[Spottedlaurel]

13 minutes ago, Schaefft said:

Chrysler Vision, one day I might still own one.

Let's hope so! Front end styling quite similar to the 1991-96 Prelude.

[wuvvum]

On 06/09/2025 at 07:37, Spottedlaurel said:

 

Saw one or two others at various garages on our travels, good that they're still around and in use.

I saw one of these with a horsebo11ox body driving through Wroxham a couple of months back.  First one I'd seen on the road here for years.

[Spottedlaurel]

May 17th marks the 20th anniversary of beginning this thread. It's a shame that those hosted on Imageshack etc have disappeared, but I'm hoping to gradually resurrect what I can as I gradually ease into retirement. In the meantime have a few of the more interesting/noteworthy/dull non-holiday/show finds seen out and about since 2022/23......

 

 

 

 

 

This lot all from a New Year's Eve trip to the coast. Yaris in the last shot has since been scrapped, although it'd done well with nearly 197,000 at its last MoT. Volvo still going strong, had done over 205k at its most recent test.

 

 

Seen both the Herald and 500 before, they may even appear on this thread (Fiat as far back as 2006).

 

 

 

 

 

More old things seen away from the show field (or banger track).

Mouldy.

Lots more to come.

[ProgRocker]

Mildly amused to see the Herald Estate and Humber Sceptre photos one after the other. My parents owned versions of both.

[Spottedlaurel]

Onwards....

Base spec? Pleased to say it was MoTed just a few days ago, had done over 195k.

 

 

 

 

 

Went for a joint birthday weekend away, saw lots of German stuff.

Grabbed off the dashcam, can't immediately recall it from local events.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plenty to be seen at the toy fair at Kempton Park.

 

Neat coincidence to see these Daimlers in similar colours on the same day.

Great colour on this 1750.

More tomorrow....

[Spottedlaurel]

More....

 

 

The 306 would have been just 10 years old when I started this tread, and certainly not something I'd be looking out for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An airport run on a very hot day starting with a drive through a leafy (and probably wealthy) area of South Suffolk and North Essex was quite fruitful.

Pleasing thing to see, sold new in Ipswich and on a Suffolk plate, still in the county, but sadly no tax or MoT on it since 2022/23.

 

Different ways of doing a similar thing. Minor was £2750, which seemed reasonable for a 2-door. I put it into DVLA half expecting the plate to now be on a Mercedes, but it's still on the Morris (albeit on SORN).

 

Italian exotics on an airfield.

 

Miss SL and her BF saw this somewhere on the Adriatic coast on their way back from Dubrovnik in the ex/returned to @BorniteIdentity Avensis SR. Owners had apparently driven it down there.

Let's have a break for an ice cream. This one apparently a 2-litre petrol despite the diesel nose.

[Spottedlaurel]

 

 

Supermarket car parks still useful for finding stuff.

Think I've seen this elsewhere in Suffolk more recently.

 

 

Quick visit to an art/craft fair with Mrs SL got me this lot.

Was for sale at £2,295.

 

 

Made a return visit to the airfield where I saw the Alfa 164 and Lamborghini tractor, found more things.

 

 

These three of obvious interest to me. Last MoT on the Hilux expired in 2023 and it's now on SORN. Can't remember if the above LS400 is one that got lowered and fitted with a fruity-sounding exhaust.

[Gompo]

Some top recent updates - Great that this thread's 20 years old and you're still out there spotting.

It made me check when I started my much smaller spotting thread, January 2008. A While to go yet!

[Spottedlaurel]

Onwards.....

B11 Sunny estate back in 2022. When I last saw it a few weeks ago the rear door had fallen off.

I think was a mid-week spot, pleasingly still taxed and tested.

This shot from 2022, but Streetview shows that it was sat there in 2018 and was still there in 2024.

 

1970s wedges seen out and about on the same day.

 

100 was very tidy, owner enjoyed it for a trip to the seafront.

Astra (old one, not the estate) a repeat spot from 2016.

 

 

 

Went to Ashbourne, family went in and out of shops and I did something more useful with my time.

 

Compare and contrast Golfs.

Cabstar/Atlas a slightly unusual basis for a camper, looks like it came this way from new.

Do like a 4-door hardtop, apparently a '64 Galaxie 500.

40+ years ago I was getting ferried around in my mum's GTL.

 

 

Chap had owned this wonderful Coupe for 30 or so years.

Used to see a lot of these FTOs at Japanese car shows, but they're rare nowadays.

More to come....

[Spottedlaurel]

 

 

 

More German automotive cockroaches.

Neat touch in giving the Figaro the inclination to rot of the cars that inspired it.

 

Saw these within just over a week of each other.

Another small-ish '90s coupe, but not so dynamic as the Puma?....

Don't see many of these in everyday use now.

 

 

 

 

Always worth having a mooch around the car park and pits at one of the big banger meetings at Foxhall Stadium.

I think there was an issue with this, sadly, as it sat in town with its windows down for a few days before ending up back on a local driveway.

Had seen this around a few times before finally managing to get a photo.

I think one of the children got this shot for me. Still not seen it in person, despite being local and not apparently having a change of keeper since 2017.

I believe this belonged to a lad who did some plumbing for us a few years ago.

I miss the days when a T72 Bluebird perfectly capable of everyday use could be bought for a few hundred pounds.

 

More from another toy fair.

I don't know who they belonged to but there was a period of time when there'd often be a modified Japanese car or two parked-up here.

Lots more to go, but at least we're into 2023 now (and that's with some heavy editing).

[ProgRocker]

18 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

More German automotive cockroaches.

These C-Classes tend to pique my interest at the moment. Always preferred them in 'Esprit' spec.