Eye-catching black and whites

[JeeExEll]

This garage is one of the few images which has a specific address, 513 Hyde Road, Gorton.  So I checked it out.

WTF?  A car I didn't know existed until recently.  Do they have two engines or just extra luggage space and some sort of complicated transmission?

[JeeExEll]

Starting to look a bit neglected there, best catch it now before things get too bad.

[JeeExEll]

[JeeExEll]

What's that on the right? 

[JeeExEll]

[JeeExEll]

[Skut]

[artdjones]

[artdjones]

[artdjones]

[artdjones]

[lesapandre]

5 hours ago, JeeExEll said:

Hillman Minx 'Californian' - about as American as Hank Marvin.

[artdjones]

[artdjones]

[artdjones]

[lesapandre]

4 hours ago, JeeExEll said:

Early Hillman Minx there. They really did rust so not many made it to 10yo.

[artdjones]

I lived in one of the houses on the right from 87 to 91.

[lesapandre]

43 minutes ago, artdjones said:

Another BMC tragic lost cause - they had a VW Polo sized hatchback car in the 60's - the A40 Farina - but did nothing to develop it or replace it with something similar.  Whilst all the attention has been on the Mini these actually sold quite well - 342,000 sold 1958 - 1968. Pity. (This one looks like the booted version - cleverly they did both in the same shape).

They must have been fairly cheap to build (they used carried-over A35 parts) and were able to go head to head with the Ford Anglia and HA Viva - and were a viable alternative to the Hillman Imp - for those who did not want fwd or like the Issigonis type of thing in a simple run-around car.

When you add in the 847,491 Morris Minors  built 1956-71 that is a massive small conventional car market that British Leyland abandoned in the 1970's - the Marina was supposed to fill the gap but it was a bigger car. And hey presto in walked Escort.

Over 1M conventionally engineered cars sold in 10 years with most of the development cost paid years before - just where did all the money go? Well my own theory is they charged too little for their cars overall not just the Mini, were not ruthless enough in pruning their range and paid far to big a dividend to shareholders as some sort of macho-pride - ran out of development money and the rest is history...

 

[artdjones]

Those of a sensitive disposition , look away now.

 

 

Tragic.

 

[Andrew353w]

On 4/23/2020 at 8:25 PM, Remspoor said:

As has already been stated, this is Rolle Quay, in Barnstaple. The narrow gauge Lynton & Barnstaple railway ran along here and the twin-hipped roof on the left was the railway's yard, in Pilton. I was born in Barnstaple, so I know the area well. 

[martc]

On 10/30/2020 at 12:07 PM, artdjones said:

OL13 is still with us - it's a blue Benz Comfortable. The DVLA says the year of manufacture was 1952 but they were originally from the 1890's. It could be a replica on a test run hence the trade plates, however there's a very 30's look to the picture. perhaps a mystery for lightbulbfan to sort out?

BO9026 cannot be found; looks like a Crossley to me. The prevalence of BO numbers suggests this is Cardiff.

[Macscrooge]

I'm really enjoying all these photos - even if much of the past looks fecking grim!

[somewhatfoolish]

Another from Helensburgh, Sinclair st looking north; captioned as circa 1915 but the vehicles look a lot later?

[lesapandre]

2 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Another from Helensburgh, Sinclair st looking north; captioned as circa 1915 but the vehicles look a lot later?

The car coming towards the viewer is a Bullnose Morris perhaps - 1913-26.  But the fully-framed body looks 20's to me and I doubt a new car would be about in 1915 when WWI had really disrupted the country.

[artdjones]

48 minutes ago, martc said:

The prevalence of BO numbers suggests this is Cardiff.

Yes,Queen St.,Cardiff.

[artdjones]

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[artdjones]