Spotted - Bottle Green Volvo in Ely

[Youngsod]

I spotted this parked at Ely Cathedral. In good condition, not mint but the look of a car that's been cared for and used for 30 odd years

 

 

 

And a bit of context:

 

 

 

[dugong]

I've just left Ely. Weird.

[Partridge]

I've not seen one with that weird plastic grill before. Pre-facelift?

[Craig the Princess]

I have also been through Ely today. Clearly it is Shite central.

[mercrocker]

Love the colour.....and the fact that it has a Southampton registration.   Rudds, possibly...

[wuvvum]

That was parked in the exact same spot when I visited Ely cathedral in August.

[Partridge]

Love the colour.....and the fact that it has a Southampton registration.   Rudds, possibly...

I thought CR was a Welsh number?

[dugong]

I've not seen one with that weird plastic grill before. Pre-facelift?

 

That's a 345. 1980-84 I think, before the 343 and 345 nomenclature were dropped in favour of 340/360 (plus trim level) from late '84 onwards. The 1976 cars were super shonky and CVT only. Quality gradually improved at the 'Seventies wore on, which is why I imagine that one has survived - although there's fewer and fewer of them as time goes on.

 

 

Rare '75\'76 343 at the Volvo Museum.

 

 

Knob van outside Ely cathedral.

[Angrydicky]

I thought CR was a Welsh number?

It is under the post-2001 system e.g CR56. Pre 2001 it was Southampton.

[Vin]

Southampton from 1904 to 1974. Then issued until 2001 by Portsmouth after the 1974 're-arrangement' of markers...

 

That is a lovely looking example. An old chap who lived in a neighbouring pensioners bungalow to my Grandma had a white one of these. It was a right shed. He was constantly painting over the rusty arches and patches with Dulux white emulsion. That was around 1990.

[Timewaster]

As Autoshites Ely correspondent I can confirm that the Volvo is parked in a cathedral staff space and is often there.

Ely is a bit of a haven for ancient Volvos as we had a long established dealer in a nearby village until a few years ago.

If you visit on a Thursday you might well see an elder lady in her splendid gold 164 with a personal plate who has been riding about in our for as long as I can remember.

[Youngsod]

I know what you mean about Ely being trapped in the past, it's just I thought that the past was the 12th Century, not the 70s! 

 

I confess that I love the place though, we always visit in October as the boy had his very first go on a swing there in 2012, so we visit at the same time every year to take the same photo in the same swing.

[wuvvum]

Here's my pitchers of  the Volvo.

 

 

[Mirkin]

I've seen that near there before, really nice car. 

There is also this Trabby in Littleport.

[Timewaster]

That Trabby changes colour every couple of months. It must have 20 layers of brush paint on it by now.

[robinmasters]

That must have taken a lot of tins of Humbrol.

[Richard]

 

That's a 345. 1980-84 I think, before the 343 and 345 nomenclature were dropped in favour of 340/360 (plus trim level) from late '84 onwards. The 1976 cars were super shonky and CVT only. Quality gradually improved at the 'Seventies wore on, which is why I imagine that one has survived - although there's fewer and fewer of them as time goes on.

 

 

 

I think that's the 1976-80 (or possibly 81) version because the indicator is integrated into the headlamp unit.

[Youngsod]

That must have taken a lot of tins of Humbrol.

 Well there is an excellent model shop in Ely....