Brownnova’s spots! A periodically updated thread of pictures of interesting motor cars. In the wild spots: A hoard of local honeys.

[brownnova]

Was that Jaguar with a dragon on top of it from your 4th November post taken at, or advertising, a sculpture park or somewhere similar?

 

I have a strong suspicion it is the work of my mate’s son Luke, who has been creating smaller sculptures out of metal for probably 15 years now.

It was at the metalwork centre near Oswestry. It was pretty awesome.

[AnthonyG]

Metalwork centre and Oswestry sounds about right, the whole family lives near Church Stretton now.

 

Good to see the ‘dragon car’ rather than secondhand descriptions of it, thanks for the picture.

[brownnova]

Summer is upon us and I disappear off in my camper at all opportunities.

 

Which means I get to see more North Wales chod... and proper classics too.

 

In the first of two updates here's sone spots whilst travelling....

 

Up first a Reliant at Newborough on Anglesey.

 

Then a Mini Ckubmam at Mold car boot.

 

At Abersoch I spotted a Lada Niva and River 200 combo fading into the undergrowth

 

A stunning (not shite) Alvis in Portmeirion.

 

 

Beautiful

 

 

Also at Portmeirion

 

 

 

And a ubiquitous VW Camper...

 

[brownnova]

Elsewhere in a north Wales I went to a show... and parked up outside was the best coloured E Type...

 

 

Inside the show was this van... Nope not a clue..

 

 

In Rhosesmor... a Micra Collette

 

Meanwhile in Llangollen another E...

 

But then... I stumbled across this motherload... an eastern European car convoy.

 

Trabi....

 

Extreme Trabi

 

 

And a Wartburg!!!!

 

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

Quality spotting here!

[mat_the_cat]

Another shiter from North Wales here too! I don't see anything like as much as you manage, but I'm reminded of a couple from the winter I snapped. The first was out on a run near Bangor I think, when I saw a rare VW camper:

 

 

At first I couldn't work out the model, until I got round to the front and I cursed myself for being so stupid. It was quite obviously a very late registered T1.

 

 

Still on the van theme I've seen this a few times, although sadly never mobile. I wonder whether it ever will be again?

 

[brownnova]

Another shiter from North Wales here too! I don't see anything like as much as you manage...

North Wales truly is an awesome place to live!!!

There are loads of old chod about. I'm lucky that my girlfriend is as good at spotting old cars as me... she points them out for me to take photos of.

[brownnova]

Summer is here!  And the shite is out... No I haven't had constipation I've been spotting!

 

In York this rather tasty Honda Civic caught the eye near the railway museum.... Mmmmm

 

Imagine my suprise when I spotted an almost identical Saab 9000 to mine in a secret location which I will keep secret so I can go buy it...

 

Nice Legacy - pretty rare now

 

On my commute home - A Mitsubishi Sapporo no less! IN BROWN!!! Be still my throbbing...... heart

 

Golden brown texture like.... Cortina

 

I see this Daimler nearly every day on my way to work... finally pulled over to snap it

 

Astra Ass

 

 

Keeping a Griffin theme have a Carlton in a pub car park

 

In the same pub car park was a Beat!  No not the bangin tunes a Honda Beat

 

Then I went to a show and behold the car park was full of win!  A Mk2 Espace

 

And as all the pictures seem to be of the rear 3/4 of the cars... have a full frontal shot!

 

Brooooon Midget

 

Marcos did some ugly butts....

 

I went to play guitar in a theatre in front of about 1000 people... this was in the staff car par.  I knew it would be alright.

 

And finally a William.... Yes this oddball was in a show - Glorious

 

Merry Spotmas all

[brownnova]

Good evening dear reader, be you a new subscriber or a faithful spotting companion down the by way of shite.

 

I fear that you may well prosecute under the trade description act this update, as but two if the spots were in North Wales. Alas!!!!! The perils of holidaying.

 

In fair Devon where the rain incessantly poured, a rare glimpse of the big yellow ball in the sky revealed this beauteous Allegro. Resplendent.

 

Loudly and in a clear voice I exclaimed "Ah a Ford Maverick" only to realise with crushing disappointment that it was in fact a Nissan Terrano II

 

Summer = Maaarse Minors...

 

Near Buxton in the Peakiest district since Pesky blinders wore a peaked cap to the peak of Ben Nevis a campsite was procured. Our pitch had a beautiful view from the front...

 

And the side

 

 

A Zephyr 6 loitered too. But I can't find a picture of it..

 

To Bodnant garden where the flowers bloom and the car park revealed such beauties as this Triumph

 

No this bus hadn't in fact fallen over it is merely that after many years there is still no picture upload from the mobile site and hence the thumbnails are so small a any human eye cannot perceive them.

 

 

Please oh please moderating gods please provide us with mobile uploads.

 

In offeration for said request humbly accept this picture of a Steam Engine.

 

 

Adieu dear readers, Adieu.

[brownnova]

This Saturday was SaabFest and I thought I’d share some highlights:

 

 

A Sonnet

 

I loved this truck, so unusual!

 

 

 

 

Beigey goodness. Originally for a Sultan in Oman

 

 

One owner from new

 

The 9000 selection was small

 

A 9-3 with a familiar number plate

 

Third oldest Saab in the world

 

And winner of best in show!!

 

Happy looking

[Shep Shepherd]

I read about the beige 900 in the club magazine some time ago. It has a very interesting history

[brownnova]

Yeah it had a write up on it- it’s story was fascinating!

[Saabnut]

My 9-3 Sportwagon and the white Sonett hiding behind the orange one is also mine!

[brownnova]

Was yours the Sonnett which said you’d rather drive it than wash it?

 

If so that got our vote for best Sonnett based on that alone!

 

I thought you were probably there, shame we didn’t meet.

[Saabnut]

Was yours the Sonnett which said you’d rather drive it than wash it?

 

If so that got our vote for best Sonnett based on that alone!

 

I thought you were probably there, shame we didn’t meet.

 

Yes, that was mine! Indeed a pity we did not meet, hopefully next time.

[brownnova]

Twas the night before Chumley, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring....

 

...except for your author dear reader. He can’t sleep. It must be the excitement!

 

Now I know spotted threads seem to be about as popular as Jeremy Corbyn at a Bar Mitzvah at the moment, but I am committed to bringing you my own brand of random photographs to peruse! And I shall not be dissuaded by unpopularity!

 

So come with me now to Rhyl, a trip to the arcades was augmented by this beautiful Transit camper beast.

 

A gentle stroll down Liverpool’s Bold Street yielded this AMC of bananariffic colouration:

 

To the beautiful M56 next and is that a Tina I see before me? No sadly not the brunette beauty from S club 7 but a glorious beige number...

 

To the little village of Brynford, a house was proffered for sale, a nice house, a viewing was considered, s driveby first to check it out showed the garden ornamentation to be top notch!

Sadly the house sold too quick for me...

 

Asda car park can yield some interesting chod: a Scirrocco today

 

Berrington hall is a lovely old pile owned by the National trust, well worth a visit, especially if you own a Sherpa Coupe chromius maximus edition

 

Ever played vehicular snap? I know I have...

 

A short break to the coast... the advantage of sitting high up is that I can see over walks and hedges. This Fiat Mirafiori the result if tip toes and bush parting (Fnarr fnarr)

 

As the Spice girls sang: Viva forever

 

I was always better at the discus myself...

 

Getting in on the action I am great full to the GF_brownnova for the following spots:

 

Brown triumph normally has toilet connotations but not today!

 

Completing the uploads is this Unimog outside the Jade Jones pavilion in Flint.... it’s armoured because they’ve been to a Flint before...

 

I already have enough pics for another upload.... so I’ll see you soon dear reader or maybe even readers.... plural...

[brownnova]

Sat watching hubnut videos uploading shitespotting pics... life doesn’t get much better!

 

First up an artistic shot of a Citroen AX. Whilst out walking in the beautiful north wales hills.

 

 

This drive was full of win!

 

Volvo 480 in a pub car park...

 

Then...

En route home from the 10 mile walk up the Penycloddau we stumbled accords a local funeral director displaying his fleet...

 

Daimlers....

 

 

 

Older Daimlers

 

 

 

Keep rollin rollin rolling...

 

/Fin

[brownnova]

Good evening!! And welcome to another edition of....

 

Chod perving!!

 

The place we store the Camper has a couple of Volkswagen heaps...

 

Neatly festering amongst the caravans

 

I took the long way home on Tuesday, glad I did! Hot Morris action!

 

An exceptionally tidy mx5 mk1

 

A Bristol at Blists hill

 

A mini on a road near erm... I forget...

 

A not so posh Porsche in not so posh Prestatyn...

 

Going into the MX5 National I followed this 4x4 MX5.... it didn’t ground on any speed bumps!

 

And a 2CV in Evesham spotted whilst visiting my Grandparents.

 

And finally a shot for the people. Shiters assemble!

 

Winter means the pickings get slimmer... let’s see what I can find!

[brownnova]

Evening all!!!

 

Well with the short daylight hours I’m afraid some of the pictures in today’s update are darker than Britain’s future post Brexit. Talking of which two of the photos were in fact taken in the European Parliament’s home city!

 

So with no further political banter we shall continue with the spots...

 

Firstly: on a trip to Tesco I discovered this delight in the car park!

 

Americana in the North Wales hills on an evening drive:

 

The doctors said I was I’ll, I contested this, so I had to go to a test to prove I wasn’t. I knew it would go well when this good omen appeared in the car park...

Naturally all was well....

 

Down a rutted track I saw this lurking... Vauxhall’s Victor...

 

A Christmas walk with the family was interrupted when I spotted this perfect driveway!

 

 

Outside Wetherspoons I saw an ambulance. Clearly someone had been overcome by the sight I’d this Supra!

 

And to Brussels for some Christmas fun, but a marked lack of chod...

 

Well that’s all for 2018, more spots to come in 2019!

 

Happy new year all!

[brownnova]

Winter spottage!!!

 

The icicles haven’t stopped these hardy souls using their chod! Bit of a variety this time!

 

Sainsbury’s car park.... must be a Jag

 

Because once you get to Asda the clientele isn’t quite as classy

 

Rover 100 up a driveway

 

Orange....

 

I went to a Mazda meet... and at the neighbouring ok diner an American car group turned up!

 

 

Back at the Mazda meet this was pretty tasty...

 

A granny bush...

 

And to finish off the most ineptly names car in history!

[brownnova]

Is this possibly the ugliest car of all time... anyone know anything about these?

 

[Steve79]

Is this possibly the ugliest car of all time... anyone know anything about these?

 

FD3D9CDD-4933-40D1-8972-A2E42EEAE8D8.jpeg 2CEFF203-9DEB-4ACB-8BBE-C0A258AD809F.jpeg E4F7EA29-DCEA-48C8-A61B-C8F1DA61ECCA.jpeg 22FE770C-4BE9-4F23-B5F8-BE218D4D1241.jpeg

http://www.stevensvehicles.co.uk/

 

No longer building vehicle due to being unable to secure funding - bet Aixam breathed a sigh of relief when they announced that, safe in the knowledge that they can still wear the crown as manufacturers of the most undesirable cars anywhere on earth (apart from on here!)

[Bfg]

Is this possibly the ugliest car of all time... anyone know anything about these?

 

FD3D9CDD-4933-40D1-8972-A2E42EEAE8D8.jpeg

 

 

http://www.stevensvehicles.co.uk/

 

No longer building vehicle due to being unable to secure funding - bet Aixam breathed a sigh of relief when they announced that, safe in the knowledge that they can still wear the crown as manufacturers of the most undesirable cars anywhere on earth (apart from on here!)

 

To be fair ..these utility vehicles ought to be viewed in context of a one-man company hand-moulded pre-production examples - made as test mules. Had funding been raised - then the concept would have been translated into cnc-cut master plugs with refined lines and closely defined tolerances ..from which production quality moulds would have been made. 

 

They were designed in 2007-8 as an electric vehicle for 3^rd world developing countries, particularly those facing or going through their own Industrial revolution, in the unselfish hope of belaying another hundred-million petrol or diesel cars being made to pollute the planet's atmosphere.

 

The further concept was to reduce the pollution of shipping parts and completed vehicles all around the world ..as well the associated transport and import duty costs. They are built as a simple chassis with a hand-laminated fibreglass body shell, and all its glass is flat.  CKD electro-mechanical kits were to be collated in various international staging posts, according to different zones around the world, before being sent out to outlying districts of 3^rd world countries, together with a mould or two and jigs.  This would minimise shipping around the world ..particularly of huge bubbles of air inside thousands of vehicle bodies.  Significantly, components like tyres made in India or the numerous parts made by the Chinese would not have been shipped from those countries to the UK, to be built into vehicles - only to be sent back to India and China.! 

 

Likewise items such as the glass are likely to be available in any country (..presuming vehicle glazing was required at all !). Similarly things like an interior heater ..built into every new car simply isn't 'needed' nor wanted by the shop keeper living in Delhi, so why build that cost in and/or ship it half way around the planet.? 

 

Designed for the crudest of production environments (possibly little more than a barn) and low skilled hand-lamination - the body shells, moulded seat bases and dashboard, etc,  as well as the steel chassis, the trim, and the assembly of the CKD kits would provide employment and commerce for local communities.  As light commercial vehicles they would be built to local vehicle regs / legal regulations, rather than having been made overly-complex and therefore expensively (tested) to International type-approval regulations.

 

The local car-making business would avoid the $$-multi-billion investment needed by 'normal' car makers for steel monocoque & panel tooling / very large presses, and/or high tolerance machining / production of parts.  And so., with minimal amortisation, also minimised shipping and import duties, and minimal factory overheads - the finished product would be cheaper than any of us might possibly imagine.  Fuel for those short-hop vehicles, primarily used in very hot climates, would of course be solar, so once purchased - the running costs would be very modest. 

 

Sitting on a base-chassis and with common electro-mechanicals - the designs you might see are just one or two of their numerous modular derivatives. Long and short wheel base, open and closed, box van to flat bed, and pick up style utility vehicles to taxis.  Further designs might also be adapted to localised prerequisite, just as we do here with factory-use electric vehicles. The styles would be easily updated to local tastes and changes of fashion as and when that market saw fit.  And the commonality use of the same electro-mechanical components from one generation to the next would avoid the seemingly infinite racks of parts we see in our own car-part warehouses. This in turn adds affordable longevity to those vehicle's usefulness.

 

From the above you might think it was simply an initiative in 'green' car making, but really it was a radically new concept in vehicle design - to allow design development, growth, and change - be literally moulded by the people who used it ..rather than by some rich college kids sitting behind computers in an air-conditioned office,  or else some over-paid marketing 'studio' telling us what we need and what we want.  And don't for a moment think the designs you see are some sort of communist grey drab in conformity ..because locally made means the flexibility for localised personalising. The design presented is an embryo to individual / colloquial styles and function..  As such - the concept was not founded in a designer's ego, but rather Tony Steven's genuine desire to make the world a better place for the future ..and to give those at the bottom of the ladder a helping hand.  

 

Remember these vehicles weren't designed for us but for the 3^rd world family and small corner-shop businessman, which don't have a Halfords in every town, and where many roads are unpaved. The vehicles may seem unattractive or at best ugly-enough-to-be-cute to our western eyes - but given the big-picture criteria ..and Tony's minuscule out-of-pocket budget - I  challenge  any  of  you  to  do  better.

 

Bfg.

 

p.s. It is true the vehicles were available to buy on these shores, but that was only a means to raise working capital / surviving cash-flow while Tony Stevens worked (pretty much on his own) to develop trade relations with potential suppliers and also 3^rd world agencies who might handle the build and distribution within local communities.  Those vehicles were to test durability in the real (..although somewhat cossetted) world of a high street. 

 

Again, funding never happened - simply because investors could not see a fat enough profit in it for them ..and they are not in business to help anyone but themselves, nor to make the world a better place. 

13,703 views

[TataBobu]

Another shiter from North Wales here too! I don't see anything like as much as you manage, but I'm reminded of a couple from the winter I snapped. The first was out on a run near Bangor I think, when I saw a rare VW camper:

 

20180304_100649.jpg

 

At first I couldn't work out the model, until I got round to the front and I cursed myself for being so stupid. It was quite obviously a very late registered T1.

 

20180304_100643.jpg

 

 

Rare enough! I've never seen a Subaru Libero transformed in VW before, I thought the japanese transformed mainly Suzukis.

[brownnova]

Thanks for the knowledge there BFG... just resisting the urge to call and see if they want to sell it to me HaHa

[Bfg]

^ I'm sure Tony would be able to find you one.

[brownnova]

For 14 or so years I’ve been aware of this place just off the A55 at the turning for Llandudno, it used to house a truly dazzling plethora of exciting chod, including for a good while a number of Invacars. It’s been mentioned a few times in the pages of AS. At the time I always saw it from the slip road onto the 55 and never ventured down to look at the delights. Sadly a few years ago the site was partly cleared and chod space stolen to store new BMWs. So today as I passed it I remarked to the good lady how i regretted never getting down there. “Let’s go and have a look now” she exclaimed. Oh the joys of having a partner who encourages my love of rusty shite!

 

The site is heavily fenced and one can only access one side for photos. The other side has a few XJSs and some 924s I wish I could’ve got inside as I reckon what i can see might not be all there is...

 

A ghostbusters DS420

 

Punto Cabrio FTW!

 

What was this?? A Riley? Or a Rover? I’m not too sure...

 

It’s a shame I never got down there in it’s heyday but I’m glad I glimpsed it today...

[mercrocker]

That is indeed an RM Riley saloon returning to nature there.

[brownnova]

That is indeed an RM Riley saloon returning to nature there.

I thought it might be but I doubted myself.... intense resto anyone?

[Schaefft]

Elsewhere in a north Wales I went to a show... and parked up outside was the best coloured E Type...

 

20180507_151644.jpg

 

Inside the show was this van... Nope not a clue..

 

20180507_141535.jpg

 

In Rhosesmor... a Micra Collette

20180509_192847.jpg

 

Meanwhile in Llangollen another E...

20180513_181750.jpg

 

But then... I stumbled across this motherload... an eastern European car convoy.

 

Trabi....

20180513_185750.jpg

 

Extreme Trabi

 

20180513_185851.jpg20180513_185825.jpg

 

And a Wartburg!!!!

 

20180513_185847.jpg20180513_185838.jpg

 

The plate on that yellow Trabi tells me he's from my home county, interesting!