S A Barrett's Sussex shite spots - summoning shite out of thin air

[vulgalour]

You really do spot some absolutely cracking stuff.

[barrett]

Not sure what's going on at the moment but I have hardly seen anything interesting lately. I do reckon the 'golden age' of tat has passed now, cars that are 20-25 years old are not actually that interesting to me so I just ignore them for the most part. Odd. Anyway, here is a motley selection nonetheless.

 

This deserves two looks I reckon. Seen in London, of course

 

This was on the same small road. This phenomenon fascinates me almost to the point of obsession. Why is it that old cars are so often found nearby to one another even when clearly in different ownership? I love that you can really 'follow' a seam of knackered old crocks through certain neighbourhoods. For years I've been trying to coin an appropriate word to describe this, and recently decided 'autoherence' was it, but on reflection it's a little vague. Anyway, here's a Ford Capri

 

I was not expecting to find this on a Horsham trading estate. Surely these fall into the category of 'shitexotica', ie a huge flop in period, badly built, looked down on for many years but still worth significant sums of cash

 

Fareham. Looked to be working for a living

 

Thought this was worth capturing, despite relative modernity, for the superb tide mark

 

This lhd Berlin taxi has been a local daily driver for at least 20 years and still seems to be going strong. Wonder what the story is?

 

Superbly scruffy, no shock absorbers. At my garage when I was dropping off the Mk1

 

Another long term resident. Is this really from 1981? It looks much newer to me

 

And finally this sad sight. I photographed this in probably my very first set of spotting photos, I'd guess seven or eight years ago, and it's not moved since. It was quite straight when it was laid up, and had been in regular use before then, but it's got quite rusty now and I doubt anyone will rescue it. Chap also has a Mk1 Zephyr on the drive that I've never managed to snap satisfactorily

[mouseflakes]

Another thrilling instalment. Thanks!

 

At first, that tide-marked Focus had me thinking it was Ford's answer to the Rover Streetwise*.

 

 

*the correct answer is in fact '...wha..?'

[mercrocker]

That Volvo is stupendous.

[danthecapriman]

Love the Volvo and the battered Capri.

 

That mk1 Transit recovery truck is often seen around the Portsmouth area. It does work for a living too, I saw it parked up with an axle on the back the other day and seen it running around with all sorts of cars on the back before. There's another similar one that works from the same yard with it too!

[Squire_Dawson]

 

but it's got quite rusty now and I doubt anyone will rescue it.

So, you know what you need to do...

[barrett]

Hiya. Only a few more this time around. See previous comments about lack of good stuff.

This very clean Uno is advertising a 'scrappage' deal at the local Renault dealer. Shame.

 

Fairly early Mk3 in use as a shed

 

...which is just round the corner from this. More autoherence. Bit modern, but I like them and this looks quite sad

 

This very nice Dutch Amazon appeared and then vanished the other day.

 

Overgrown Minor Tourer looks to have sat for a while. Aren't these worth actual money now?

 

And this, which has to be my spot of the year. What a brilliant old thing. Sadly, looks pretty terminal, otherwise I'd have left a note.

 

Cheers!

[Ghosty]

GS has no data on the MOT site, and SORN without date as well. Probably fucked.

[barrett]

An small update.

 

This was the only old car I saw driving to the NEC and back

 

On a little trading estate in Portslade

 

 

This was nearby

 

In Hove somewhere

 

The only normal old car I saw on the road during two days in Germany

 

Das ist alles

[barrett]

Quick feb/Mar round-up starting with a BX in Paris. Seemed like much less interesting stuff around this year, but most of my spots from 2016 were still knocking about.

 

Shabby Xant at Tesco

 

Maestro in Hastings. Lovely stuff

 

Sharing a garden nearby

 

Drunken spotting. I don't know what this actually is

[Snipes]

S15 Nissan Silvia with a body kit . 4-stud rims suggest 2.0 NA. Import only.

[barrett]

Eight more horrid vehicles for your interest.

 

London. These things are properly rare now and I reckon they look great

 

Also London. Loads of these around in wealthy areas and beyond

 

Car park of my favourite hypermarche in Dieppe. Proper 'papi-mobile' which I believe is French for 'giffer spec'

 

Local Krap Kamper Korral has thrown these up recently

 

Some deranged AR-licker in rural Gloucestershire has these and a tidy MG Maestro

 

Nice original Mini outside my Citroen mechanic's place

 

And finally this, which was a lucky spot in Arundel a few weeks back. It's the wrong one in all sorts of ways, but still lovely

[barrett]

Hello. Here are some photos of cars I have seen since the last time I did this.

 

Sooty's let himself go

 

Junkwagon at Tesco

 

Lovely sunset Mk1 Espace at Asda (I hang out in all the coolest places)

 

Same car park, different day

 

Beautiful 505 at Bicester

 

Manky bilge, in a Little Chef car park near Cirencester. Presumably the owners were turned into olympic breakfasts

 

Grim but probably tasty Farina, Pendine

 

Ditto

 

Tesco again. Absolutely hanging, full of pop rivets and pog

 

I guess this is contrived, but I like it nonetheless. Note coathanger aerial

 

Gorgeous GS

 

more anon

 

[barrett]

This next lot are all from one day spent wandering around a fairly small geographical area of London. There can't be anywhere else in the UK with such a high concentration of old cars in regular use, and the lack of garage space means stuff that would be hidden away anywhere else is out on the street in all weather.

 

Starting off strong with a crusty 96

 

really horrid Mk2

 

Very tidy Italian-plated 500

 

Some 4x4 thing

 

Lots of old BMWs around, not my thing really but this one looked pretty good

 

 

Nice to see these haven't disappeared entirely

 

Trapped P4

 

And a nicer one a couple of streets away

 

Scruffy ZX. Where did all these go?

 

I should point out that the sun was so bright I could hardly see what I was photographing most of the time, so a few of these snaps look a bit like this, sorry. Nice to see an ADO16 in the wild, though

 

Faded, rusty Herald

 

And a tidier one a couple of roads along

 

Appealingly basic Capri on shit trims for the full '90s look

 

A Touring! The only '02 I would have

 

more in a minute

[barrett]

First 127 I've seen on the road for years

 

seemingly abandoned floppytop was beginning to gather moss

 

I was at an intersection, and there was a Volvo 340 down one road and this thing down another. Had to make a decision on which way to go and I reckon I did the right thing (spoiler alert: I went back for the 340 later)

 

Another one! Really nice condition and colour, too

 

Told ya!

 

Just lovely

 

Next three were on the same road. I found that, whilst not every single street has something good parked on, you might see perhaps one interesting old car for every third street which is pretty good going I reckon

 

 

 

I was really pleased to see this, which makes it doubly annoying that its the one properly out of focus I took all day

 

I really do like these and could probably live with just this and no other cars at all if pushed

 

The second Mondeo I have photographed in my life

 

Grim!

 

Right, we're nearly done now

 

I know, I know, a shit photo of a boring car, but it had the brown stripy seats and looked GR9 on the slots

 

And right back where we started with a V4 Saab

 

That was probably 12 hours between first and last photos (with a solid six hours of drinking included) and I covered a calf-shattering 20-odd miles but I reckon IT WAS WORTH IT. Also I fell over, landed with all my weight on my shoulder and now I cant drive a rhd car properly. Hooray.

 

BYE

 

 

[bramz7]

That ZX Volcane is utter class. Diesel too! I'd happily terrorise the roads in that.

[RobT]

I used to spot that ADO16 in Brixton but haven't seen it for a while, maybe the lad has moved (assuming all those spots were in SE22). He's got two others.

[strangeangel]

This is the first time I've checked out your thread, Mr Barrett Sir. Dunno how I missed it thus far! Especially this

 

 

which I wondered about here:

 

While idling away time on the internet, I discovered that the old BX has a close living relative somewhere:

 

 

Vehicle details

• Vehicle make CITROEN
• Date of first registration March 1988
• Year of manufacture 1988
• Cylinder capacity (cc) 1360 cc
• COâ‚‚Emissions Not available
• Fuel type PETROL
• Export marker No
• Vehicle status Tax not due
• Vehicle colour RED
• Vehicle type approval Not available
• Wheelplan 2 AXLE RIGID BODY

 

Now I've got in my mind the highly improbable idea of a picture of the two of them together...

 

 

[Hertz]

Wonderful spots Barrett. Keep up the good work.

[barrett]

Ah that's cool about the BX. Sadly I have never seen the red one again and don't know where it lives, but if I see it on the move again I will endeavor to follow it home etc

[dougiefourspeed]

Only just seen this thread as well. Top spots Mr Barrett!

 

The blue Maestro further up actually lives just up the road from me, its very tidy and seems to be a daily driver I see it blezzing about the place all the time. The guy who owns it is a full on BL nut and also has an immaculate (by which I mean concourse not just nice) Allegro estate, as well as a very early saloon, '74 I think. He did have a yellow Ital saloon on a W-plate as well but I've not seen that for a while. On a sunny Sunday afternoon he can often be found on his driveway going all sorts of Detailing World eight-buckets crazy on his chod collection.

 

EDIT: How's this for coincidence? Spotted on my way home from work this evening.

 

[barrett]

Recent round-up time

 

Beaulieu

 

Rye harbour 2-4-1

 

This photo doesn't really do this thing justice. The white bits looked like they'd been done in Tippex - the grille and entire roof were also painted white. No idea what the point was, just one of those mental old man cars I thought had all died out by now

 

Modern Lancia thing

 

Another Dodge camper, but this time with SERCKS

 

Pair of BMWs, one Brighton, one Arundel. I like the more basic one

 

Mouldy Saab

 

Very tidy Mk2 Fiesta

 

Dead Sirion. This is the rustiest modern car I've ever seen. Not sure the photo really gets it across, but there were fist-sized holes in the boot. Parked v close to the sea, but I would have thought its position would have offered some protection from the elements - obviously not

 

Green Porridge. Nice colour.

 

This is in the running for my Spot of the Year. Near Gaydon so a 'local' car most likely. Quite rough, obviously well-loved and in daily use. Reckon it deserves two shots

 

That's all for now

[danthecapriman]

More great spots. The Princess is lovely, it's got that sort of old worn appearance but clearly loved and looked after, brilliant.

 

Can't believe how crusty that little Daihatsu is though!

[dougiefourspeed]

‘FG’ is a Brighton registration I think. I imagine that Sirion has lived in close quarters to the sea for all of its life.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[danthecapriman]

They're really not my sort of thing, those little Daihatsu's, but I'd quite like to repair it just enough to get an MOT, then leave the rest as is and drive it! It'd really lower the tone of wherever it went!

[egg]

Wow, that Diesel Mondy back in August has 191,000 miles on in.

[vulgalour]

That Sirion is amazing, at first I thought it had been given some sort of trendy vinyl wrap until I read what you'd put.  Boot hole is astonishing.  Princess a great spot too, obviously, and one of the first series 3 cars, hence the modernised boot badges, chunky coachstripe, big mirrors and Austin Rover grille badge.

 

EDIT TO ADD:  Was that Morris also badged as a Wolseley?  Or am I thinking of a different car with similar proportions.

[barrett]

Yes there was a Wolseley 6/80 using the same shell with a classic Wolz radiator. I like how badly proportioned they are, a proper cut n shut job from the golden age* of the British motor industry

[seth]

MIssed your last lot.  That white 240 estate with the whitewalls is a 'dungeon' car. Its the one that was stolen and then recovered from a banger racer's yard, fortunatly not yet too badly damaged.

[406V6]

First time I've read this thread. One of the motor caravans from an earlier post looks really rare to my eyes. It appears to be an Opel Blitz (or at least the chassis and mechanical bits) which was a badge engineered Bedford CF. Great spot with lots of rarity points.

 

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