My spottings, old and new - Lanchester

[bunglebus]

There I am, minding my own business on a little island right at the top of Germany - and this trundles past. It's very "surfy" here so all sorts of interesting cars about

[bunglebus]

Random European spottings - loads of lovely old Porsches about in Northern Germany but only snapped this newer one

Even saw a couple of (proper) Beetles puttering along the autobahn

[bunglebus]

A few more odds and sods spotted in my travels

Nissan Homy must be a grey import 

Volvo minding its own business outside my hotel in Cardiff

This one was lurking at Tesco

One of those oddball Land Rover Defender things

Pug coupe

These were in town the other day

[bunglebus]

Not many noteworthy cars around at the moment, but this little beauty at Sainsbury's in Bath made up for it

Avantime nearby as I know some of you weirdos like them

And a breadvan bringing up the rear

[bunglebus]

I don't really think of e36s as old but 1998 was 26 years ago. This two door coupe is still soldiering on

Lupo Cambridge edition 

These red 214s used to be everywhere, always with an old giffer at the wheel

Now this is a proper oddball! South African bug, check out the weird elephants foot rear lights on pods, wide 5 bolt pattern on a post-68 car, and even the VW 1600 badge which I don't think was found on any other Beetle. Shame some wally has cut the roof off

[bunglebus]

Haven't updated this in a while, so here's a mixed bag of treats, starting with a queer little microcar in Amsterdam 

Arouser in Dover

Corsa being an car at Tesco

ovloV doing similar

Somehow lost the front pic of this Fun

This Golf is outside our MoT place, not moved in a while

This was tucked away locally to me

Long distance Moggy 

And a Corrado in Basildon 

 

[bunglebus]

Slumbering DS Safari

A Y10

And a wrapped 911 from Ukraine

It seems like there are quite a few Ukrainian registered high end cars to be found throughout Europe, especially at resorts etc. escaping the draft?

[bunglebus]

A few bits from a mission today, first of all in front of an Indian restaurant 

This was owned by the father of a girl breaking a Lupo we were after parts from. Was nice to see they were both into their cars, neither of my girls are bothered one way or another

Her Lupo daily

And this very lovely Beetle in at the classic dealer by my work

I think this is a 1200A, so it has an interesting mix of parts. Europa bumpers with rubber inserts, elephant's foot rear lights like a 1300, but black bonnet and boot handles, no trim on the centre of the bonnet or across the dashboard, two spoke steering wheel and just the small headliner with no trim on the pillars, no crescent vents behind the rear side windows.

I'm really impressed by the bodywork on this car, I think it may have been painted once, but very well. I almost never see Beetles where there's still a small gap between the bottom of the gutter and the top of the quarter panels, it gets filled up with paint very easily during repair or resto work. This thing is properly straight and crisp

[FakeConcern]

Late registration madness on that Austin Cambridge!

[MiniMinorMk3]

On 05/11/2024 at 22:06, bunglebus said:

A few bits from a mission today, first of all in front of an Indian restaurant 

This was owned by the father of a girl breaking a Lupo we were after parts from. Was nice to see they were both into their cars, neither of my girls are bothered one way or another

Her Lupo daily

And this very lovely Beetle in at the classic dealer by my work

I think this is a 1200A, so it has an interesting mix of parts. Europa bumpers with rubber inserts, elephant's foot rear lights like a 1300, but black bonnet and boot handles, no trim on the centre of the bonnet or across the dashboard, two spoke steering wheel and just the small headliner with no trim on the pillars, no crescent vents behind the rear side windows.

 

That's a one year only spec. I had one of the last L plate blade bumper 1200 saloons, which looks very much the same as that except for the bumpers and rear lights.

I'm not sure, but I think the bumpers should be black. The 1200 L had chrome bumpers, but it also has the ears behind the rear windows for ventilation and a full head liner.

In 1974 the car changed again with the front indicators being mounted in the bumpers.

Here's my '72 after lowering and paint Ford Signal Yellow

 

 

[bunglebus]

I drove past this last time I was in Liverpool, but couldn't stop for a proper look

Obviously just used to advertise the business, but yet it has an engine (with one exhaust cannon missing) and a battery. I suspect the poor thing is just driven in and out of the car wash premises each day.

Anyone know which buggy this is?

Plate is about the right age but doesn't exist on DVLA - I wonder if it was the original but has been transferred?

[bunglebus]

On 06/11/2024 at 09:38, FakeConcern said:

Late registration madness on that Austin Cambridge!

Plate raped and given a '63 reg, used to be what you got years ago as "age related"

[bunglebus]

One for not only the WTF is that? thread, but possibly also the twinned car spots too - just what exactly are these two ice cream vans on Albert Dock?

[bunglebus]

Seen a handful of older Transits still plying their trades lately

Weirdo Axiam at Tesco

Romanian Passat

Red Bull Mini

[Pieman]

According to a quick search, I believe those ice cream vans are early 1960s Morris LDs.

[MiniMinorMk3]

On 13/11/2024 at 14:27, bunglebus said:

I drove past this last time I was in Liverpool, but couldn't stop for a proper look

 

 

Anyone know which buggy this is?

Plate is about the right age but doesn't exist on DVLA - I wonder if it was the original but has been transferred?

I thought it might be an Alba, but nothing lie that shows up. Being built on a link pin front end it was probably built in the1970s. The front end and screen looks very GP like, but back then there were quite a few Buggy firms that copied and changed stuff and I just can not remember one with that type of rear arch.

 

[bunglebus]

39 minutes ago, MiniMinorMk3 said:

I thought it might be an Alba, but nothing lie that shows up. Being built on a link pin front end it was probably built in the1970s. The front end and screen looks very GP like, but back then there were quite a few Buggy firms that copied and changed stuff and I just can not remember one with that type of rear arch.

I reckon it could be a '67 as the reg suggests with the 5 bolt wheels. Had a 70s speedometer and a flat accelerator rather than the old roller type. That fibreglass star covered the chassis number though

[MiniMinorMk3]

On 13/11/2024 at 14:27, bunglebus said:

I drove past this last time I was in Liverpool, but couldn't stop for a proper look

Obviously just used to advertise the business, but yet it has an engine (with one exhaust cannon missing) and a battery. I suspect the poor thing is just driven in and out of the car wash premises each day.

Anyone know which buggy this is?

Plate is about the right age but doesn't exist on DVLA - I wonder if it was the original but has been transferred?

I think I have found out what that yellow buggy is.

An EPC Hustler.

They were built quite near yourself in Dagenham.

Front end is the same but the sides are slightly different, but was the one you spotted a LWB?

The rearhas that square type number plate panel which I do not remember on any other Buggy.

[bunglebus]

In Maldon yesterday, the local sea salt company dug old this old crock (model AA?). Wasn't running awfully well but the sound of the non-syncro gears was magical 

Parked next to this facelift Passat and got chatting to the owners - it's got almost exactly 200,000 miles less on it than mine, so was in great condition. Apparently their kids aren't interested in it, not sure how serious they thought I was when I said I was.

And a Skyline burbling into Tesco the other day

[bunglebus]

I see a fair few supercars around the posh bit of London - but they're boring. This isn't though 

LHD tho

[EyesWeldedShut]

10 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I see a fair few supercars around the posh bit of London - but they're boring. This isn't though 

LHD tho

Bryanston Street, W1 o/s the old Mostyn Hotel  
Plus ca change

[Captain Mainwaring]

The oddball Land Rover Defender is in fact an Ineos Grenadier, made by (multi-millionaire) Jim Ratcliffe's company because he decried LR's decision to stop making the original Defender, thinks the new one is shit, and took it upon himself to build a car in the spirit of the original.

[bunglebus]

19 minutes ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

Bryanston Street, W1 o/s the old Mostyn Hotel  
Plus ca change

I'm in the Thistle Hotel. Done a few jobs near here and it's all Gumperts and G Wagons with gold wraps

[EyesWeldedShut]

16 minutes ago, bunglebus said:

I'm in the Thistle Hotel. Done a few jobs near here and it's all Gumperts and G Wagons with gold wraps

The Thistle used to be the Mount Royal back in the day. Opposite on Bryanston Street was the back door of the cop shop I worked in from 1981 - 1986. I knew* a few of the chambermaids from there and I nicked a guy who worked in the NCP under the Thistle for stealing Blaupunkts out of Porsche 911s (back when they were actually worth stealing). 
It was monied around there back then too but there was still the odd, weird little islands of urban poverty/peppercorn rents/leftover trades here and there. (New Quebec Street there was a Hoover repair shop for example). 
These days the whole W1 area just sweats money - it is boggling to see motors worth more than the average house going around in swarms  

[bunglebus]

Yeah there were two Paganis parked up casually around the corner 

[Pieman]

22 hours ago, bunglebus said:

I see a fair few supercars around the posh bit of London - but they're boring. This isn't though 

LHD tho

Well at least one person from Kuwait has some taste in cars.

[kirton]

22 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

stealing Blaupunkts out of Porsche 911s (back when they were actually worth stealing). 

now worth something, Blaupunkts that is.  there is a refurbisher who sells 1980s high end Blaupunkts for £500 to £1000 (Toronto SQRs) noting they have a Porsche serial number.  I'm waiting see when he sells a Toronto RCM40 (even rarer) to see if I fortuitously bought a mini  gold mine to fill a hole in my BMW (faster around Castle Coombe than a Porsche turbo whne driven by a future F1 driver -can't find the article now)

 

 

[bunglebus]

Always interesting old cars dotted around the capital, most I can't photograph unfortunately 

[bunglebus]

One and a half Minis

And an Arouser

[bunglebus]

Wow Astra van looking really tidy. In use by a decorator it seems

Nice blue bus

And its older brother 

Not many of these about now, but then who wants a car taller than it is wide? I still have strange ideas about building one of these as a sleeper, hiding something high performance under the bonnet