Six Cylinders Motoring Notes

[Six-cylinder]

The Victor FC Estate was replaced with a new 1968 FD Victor 2000 SL saloon. One evening my father sent me to the garage to collect something from his car, of coarse it was a ruse as nobody had noticed he had had a new car for 3 days!

 

My father did 55,000 miles in 18 months with the FD and it was worn out.  

[Six-cylinder]

bet it wasnt 22 quid to drive over it

 

Is there a toll now?

[Six-cylinder]

At the Earls Court Motor Show October 1969 my father was on the lookout for a new car and I guided him to a Toyota Crown I had found. My father liked it and his boss agreed he could have it as his company car, he test drove one and mother agreed it was ok. The plan was to have it for Aug 1970 trip to Austria. As 1970 advanced my mother started to nag my father have you ordered that car yet or we won't have it for the holiday!

 

I was riding home on my bicycle and was so surprised to see my father drive past in a 1965 Mercedes 220Sb Auto. He had been out with his boss, they spotted this used car and bought it!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Now THAT’S classy. Thanks for sharing.

[Heidel_Kakao]

That's a bummer, the Crown would have been much cooler, especially as I want one myself, was it a saloon or estate?

[hairnet]

Is there a toll now?

https://www.grossglockner.at/gg/en/pricesandopeninghours

 

yes boss

[hairnet]

fd - we had one of those - not as new as yours cos obv im not THAT old

[Six-cylinder]

That's a bummer, the Crown would have been much cooler, especially as I want one myself, was it a saloon or estate?

 

Saloon

[RobT]

Lovely photos. I'm guessing young six-cyl is on the right in the Morris pic? Nice back drop too with the old Cinzano sign.

[Six-cylinder]

Lovely photos. I'm guessing young six-cyl is on the right in the Morris pic? Nice back drop too with the old Cinzano sign.

 

Sorry I am on the left, the other is my brother who grew up to be 6ft 5ins! 

[Sudsprint]

That's a bummer, the Crown would have been much cooler, especially as I want one myself, was it a saloon or estate?

 

 

That's debatable.

 

My Matchbox Superkings Benz ambulance was coolness itself in the Dinky car park.

[mercrocker]

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

[HMC]

Great pics! What was the most exotic car he owned? Also did he own more than one car at a time?

 

Wondering if it's in the DNA

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

 

My father did 55,000 miles in 18 months with the FD and it was worn out.  

 

 

 

You don't appreciate how shit British cars were back then.

 

1100's are lovely though, apart from then unlovely rust.

 

A 220 Fintail Mercedes was run in at 55'000.

[GoGently]

Having failed to solder a connector on a cable to charge my scooter I was looking for something easier to do tonight!

 

We are clearing my Mothers house because she is in a nursing home and now have the family photo albums so I am picking the car stuff out.

 

The first I have come across is my fathers 1963 Morris 1100 brand new company car and yes me with my parents in 1963.

 

Edit - I have checked DVLA and no trace

Nice Reg AMY

[Six-cylinder]

Great pics! What was the most exotic car he owned? Also did he own more than one car at a time?

 

Wondering if it's in the DNA

 

My mother was a controlling influence and did not see the value of cars so in spite of showing me a 1971 W107 Mercedes 350SL he liked in a local garage he never did anything about it.

[Six-cylinder]

My father changed jobs, I am guessing 1971/2 and had to provide his own car while on probation, he bought a 1960 VW beetle. He did not remain with that company for long.

 

A new job meant a Ford Escort 1100 pool car until his new Cortina arrived. The Cortina never arrived because he left to set up his own business. The 1960 Beetle was given to my mother to replace her 1957 small oval window Beetle that used to overheat if not driven gently. Unfortunately I cannot find any pictures of the Beetles or Escort.

 

While working his notice with the Escort, he had to find himself a car, I remember looking at cars with him including other fintail Mercs and an Austin Westminster. I think this was 1972. He settled for a 1960 Mk2 Jaguar 3.4 auto in maroon.  He must have liked it because while he still had the Escort, he parked it at a friend’s house near work and drove the Jag the first 25 miles and collected the Escort to take to work. The rear main oil seal was leaking badly and he did not have the means to take the engine out, so took off the front suspension, sump and fitted a new seal. The Mk2 made the trip to Austria without problems.

 

He found himself doing a lot more miles than he expected, so he started using the 1960 Beetle as a work car and my mother was given the Mk2 for her weekly shopping and errands. My mother did not like the Mk2 because she found the steering too heavy without PAS, so it was changed for a 1965 S-Type 3.8 auto with PAS in white with blue leather. I know from the albums they had the S Type in 1974.   

 

My father took lots of pictures but never of the cars so I have cropped these out other shots that means they are not great quality.

[SiC]

All cars made after 1986 1966 are rubbish...

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

Now that is a fine example of a BFH!

[DeeJay]

If this was in colour it could a small section of your drive.

 

 

Obviously in the DNA. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Your father may have had your mother as a direct influence, but he still managed to bag some enviable sixties luxobarges. I can't see anyone in fifty years time saying, "And here's a photo of my father's 2008 tdci Focus. Wasn't it a beauty?"

[hairnet]

LOLETH at the pic of the 3 in the back of the jag

 

turning round to the camera

 

u wot m8

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

^ Folk will.

 

S'funny. I still have a load of AA 'Drive' mags from the seventies that my folks had sent and there's a 1974 or 1975 article about dumped cars; one is a 1965 C plate manual S Type Jaguar. I can remember the row of scrap Jags that used to line the drive going into Cross keys scrapyard in Lydford, Zummerzet in the mid seventies. The fuel crisis made them virtually worthless. More than any other Jag apart from the hateful X Tripe that isn't a Jag at all, the original S Type seemed to fall from grace very quickly.

[Six-cylinder]

Not of driving age I loved the S Type in white with Dunlop Alloys and a whip aerial!

 

I passed my test in March 1976 and went to college, if my car was broken, dad needed his I got to take the S-Type to college. You just can't imagine how that felt!

 

The car stuck around for many years into the early 80s getting quite rusty in the end. Why oh why did I not take it on and save it! 

[RobT]

This is all great stuff Chris, and your car memories are so vivid. Must be something to do with teenage years as I remember all my Dad's cars too, whereas my memory of what I had three of four years ago is patchy!

[Ghosty]

Obviously in the DNA. 

 

I think you mean LNA!

[Six-cylinder]

In 1974 my father had an insurance policy mature and decided to buy a 1300 cc, newish car for his daily use to replace the beetle. By then I was 15 and pouring over the car books looking for candidates, I remember us going to see an Alfa Gulia and being disappointed that he was not comfortable in it. We looked at quite a lot of cars but not BL, Vauxhall or Ford. I remember wanting him to have something interesting when compiling my list to help him! Fiat 124 and 128 were looked at, he preferred the 124. Peugeot 304, Audi 80, Renault 12 and others were considered but a 1973 Citroen GS 1220 Club, in green metallic with brown vinyl seats was chosen and started the whole Citroen thing that lasted the rest of his life.

 

I did my driving practice on the green GS and when I passed my test was allowed to borrow it. My father had six GS/GSA and after the Jaguar came out of everyday use my parents had two GSs at a time. Next was a white N reg GS 1220 Club that he bought half price from a garage because the suspension was stuck in high (I can't find a picture but I remember taking him to get it), by then my father has learnt his way around GSs and soon replaced the £11 height adjuster that had seized. My favourite was a 1978 GS X2 in metallic brown it was a year old and under 10k miles when he got it, he had it until 1985. Another L reg white1220 Club and a silver R reg 1220 Pallas were bought as older cars and the Pallas was sold in 1984. His final of the model was a X reg white GSA special. He also had a red pig nose Visa Twin he ran at the same time as the GSA but I can’t find a picture of it.

[HMC]

Great pics- how old was yasser (my just invented nickname for PLO the GS) when the pic was taken? It already looks abut crusty round the edges even then!

[Six-cylinder]

Great pics- how old was yasser (my just invented nickname for PLO the GS) when the pic was taken? It already looks abut crusty round the edges even then!

 

Ok you have me banged to rights I cheated, I could not find a picture of it in my dad's photos of it so I put up my own. Yes I bought the car from him in April 1984 as a stop gap while I was looking for a Reliant Scimitar. It was end of life by then and I only had it a few months, it looks like it lasted another year after me but still was only 9 years old when it died.

[hairnet]

your dad hasnt rubbed off on you lol

 

brilliant