HMC- Return of the Cheeky 500

[cobblers]

1 minute ago, grogee said:

Only experience is when a brand new twinair 500 returned about 35mpg with me driving like miss daisy. Dreadful real-world economy. 

Same here - Commuting in my Abarth I would get low/mid 30s if I drove spiritedly, high 30s nudging 40mpg if I was steady .

I had to thrash the twinair to really keep up with traffic, and over the same commutes I got 31mpg. I thought it was broken but I had three different ones! Utterly pointless engine. Perfect autoshite if you love spending money on petrol and not getting anywhere fast in a totally ordinary looking car that is faster, much better on fuel and more reliable with the 1.2 in.

If you really like the twinair sound just take two of the HT leads off your 1.2 and rev the bollocks off it all the time. It would probably perform just the same as a twinair, too

[wuvvum]

The Ypsilon I bought a few years back and then sold on to NigeT of this parish had the twin air engine.  I managed a bit more than 31mpg in it but the best I ever got on a long run was 48 - considering the "official" extra-urban figure was something like 78 it was slightly* disappointing on that front, but I didn't mind the way it drove and I loved the noise.  Interestingly I found pressing the Eco button made it slower but made zero difference to the fuel economy.

[HMC]

Window shopping-

crown vic police interceptor

Bentley turbo r (will I ever learn?)

austin 7

rover p5

[Matty]

Much as I'd like to see you buy an Austin 7, crown Vic all the way

[grogee]

16 minutes ago, Matty said:

Much as I'd like to see you buy an Austin 7, crown Vic all the way

+1

[horriblemercedes]

On 2/11/2023 at 5:40 PM, HMC said:

This Abarth 595 is a bit new for here, but it’s got enough in built foibles and flaws that it feels from an older age; a bit like an 80s hot hatch. 

The ride is pretty rough, and the power delivery is quite peaky. I usually get bored of cars quickly; will the things that tire non enthusiast normal people (crashy ride, odd seat design and driving position, Induction sound effects turned up to 11) keep me entertained longer than usual?

It was a toss up between this, or a 500c (soft roof) twin air. I like the idea of those but I got scared off a few too many “spares or repairs” e bay ads with the twin air. Does anyone have any real world experience with one?

My ex had a Panda Twinair for ages. Never had a problem at all and really good on fuel. I'd recommend one

[HMC]

Boom

Country pub transportation : ENGAGED

[loserone]

Amazing.  You are really living the dream.

[D.E]

Wow, fantastic!

[Matty]

59 minutes ago, HMC said:

Boom

Country pub transportation : ENGAGED

 

2 hours ago, Matty said:

Much as I'd like to see you buy an Austin 7, crown Vic all the way

Reverse psychology. Knew it would work

[Marm Toastsmith]

Yes! Wood 100% daily that. I'm glad about the £2k I saved by not buying the Porsche now. 

[HMC]

Thanks to @LightBulbFun’s research it appears it’s on its original reg. Cxv***  block was issued in London from may 1936 and this was first registered 1/6/36 - really happy about that as I initially thought it was a latter day replacment (it has that slightly crappy look of un sought after characters that the dvla tend to dish out as a replacement where there is no incentive to peddle it at an auction for their piggy bank) .
 

Plus lots of regions in the 30s were still on the 2 letter prefix whereas London had hammered through those already, which confused my eye. I guess there are not many people with initials C.X.V. - so it has evaded plate hunters’ radar.
 

To my eyes I think it’s got a set of later plates with smaller characters, so I will source either some cast aluminium larger character  plates, or even some hand painted ones.  In your face BS 145au!

 

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, HMC said:

Thanks to @LightBulbFun’s research it appears it’s on its original reg. Cxv***  block was issued in London from may 1936 and this was first registered 1/6/36 - really happy about that as I initially thought it was a latter day replacment (it has that slightly crappy look of un sought after characters that the dvla tend to dish out as a replacement where there is no incentive to peddle it at an auction for their piggy bank) .
 

Plus lots of regions in the 30s were still on the 2 letter prefix whereas London had hammered through those already, which confused my eye. I guess there are not many people with initials C.X.V. - so it has evaded plate hunters’ radar.
 

To my eyes I think it’s got a set of later plates with smaller characters, so I will source either some cast aluminium larger character  plates, or even some hand painted ones.  In your face BS 145au!

 

yeah its really nice to see its not been robbed of its mark! in my continuous  DVLA research I will often find vehicles that are 100 years old have been robbed of their number plate for a quick buck, its very disheartening!

indeed it looks to have lost its original physical plates for a set of modern "reproductions" but thankfully there are much better options out there

Tippers vintage plates is who I recommend, however if if a cast plate is what your looking for @barrett might be someone to talk to I seem to recall he got a cast plate for his Palladium cheaper then what Tippers could do

 

tis a lovely thing! ill have to resist the urge to do something stupid when it comes up for sale in a few weeks time

[HMC]

The other option is to remove the bling badges,  front bumper and irons and get some appropriate font  self adhesive digits to go in a curve below  the radiator grille. Racy! Weight reduction FTW. Not sure It suits. 

[cort16]

Love it funnily enough there’s one in my local garage just now , they’re so tiny !

[Matty]

Go on then, whats it like to drive? Always wanted a go in one

[timolloyd]

How does it compare to the Boxster? 😂

[grogee]

9 hours ago, HMC said:

Boom

Country pub transportation : ENGAGED

Are they filming All Creatures Great & Small on Dartmoor now?

Seriously, that is an amazing piece of history. Hope it brings you (& onlookers) many smiles

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I can't get my head around the fact this little old dear is 86 years old. I spotted the listing and thought this was pretty special too:

[barrett]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

yeah its really nice to see its not been robbed of its mark! in my continuous  DVLA research I will often find vehicles that are 100 years old have been robbed of their number plate for a quick buck, its very disheartening!

indeed it looks to have lost its original physical plates for a set of modern "reproductions" but thankfully there are much better options out there

Tippers vintage plates is who I recommend, however if if a cast plate is what your looking for @barrett might be someone to talk to I seem to recall he got a cast plate for his Palladium cheaper then what Tippers could do

 

tis a lovely thing! ill have to resist the urge to do something stupid when it comes up for sale in a few weeks time

We had one original plate, so did a DIY cast off that to create a replica. It's not perfect, but it didn't cost anything, so... In any case, I don't think a 1936 car would have cast plates, it should be pressed aluminium, but obviously in the correct font/size. I think Tippers is your best bet for that sadly.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Tippers is about a mile from our place. I've used them a couple of times for Lambretta plates and on my most recent visit I took some photos of their range for LBF to perve over for general perusal. 

Worth considering? 

More here:

 

[HMC]

26 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

I can't get my head around the fact this little old dear is 86 years old. I spotted the listing and thought this was pretty special too:

IIRC that bottom plaque is from a trip through France, a few years ago

[Vantman]

Well fancy buying that a couple of weeks after i had disposed of my collection of Austin Seven spares!  I've had 3, two 7s and one Big 7 so i had amassed a fair few spares,i couldn't give them away,wrong era for most people  i guess.

Great fun to drive as i was brought up with them. My personal preference is that they should always be all black!

[HMC]

This old ruby is being delivered on Sunday. I prefer the earlier styling but the coupled front and rear brakes and supposed synchros on the 3 highest speeds and having a mostly steel roof means a later car, plus they are generally less expensive and a basically a bit more forgiving of an idiot (me) at the wheel.
 

This will be used for local pottering semi daily In The centre of Tavistock in all weathers. it’s not going to be kept under a blanket and sat beside at shows in a fold out chair. Can’t think of anything worse to be honest. After all cars were designed to be used; and I can’t wait to park it next to an Audi Q7 or possibly a Tesla at Tesco and do a smol vs LARGE photo. Elon vs Herbert FACE OFF!

Anyway thanks to @horriblemercedes we may soon have some photos of its previous escapades. Sadly a lot of history has been mislaid, apart from the plaques Rivited to the bonnet as spotted by @Dick Longbridge so I’ve not got much to go on.

 

If I still own it at shitefest I will book a few days off and drive there avoiding motorways and dual carriageways; hopefully keeping out of the way of modern Britain with the keys chucked at anyone that wants a go 😂

[Matty]

Personally I think it's weird that I'm so excited about a car which I'll never see or drive but then I suppose I'm amongst like minded perverts. Upon delivery, we need a driving impressions write up. These things matter. Actually they fucking don't, just to me 😄

[HMC]

On 10/10/2017 at 9:22 AM, HMC said:

Many thanks for all the offers I have recieved. In the end I decided to turn it into a quest to find the most useful car for the least money with the longest mot. I came to realise a lot of interesting older stuff is simply worth more than the pittance I wanted to pay. The goal posts shift over time and it's interesting to have trawled through the very bottom of the current used car market. I came to the conclusion a ratty petrol mk3 mondeo would fit the bill well enough, and a grotty, battered 1.8 estate in a non colour with 11 months test is what I plumped for....

Collection tomorrow!

Things ain’t what they used to be at the bargain bucket level of the used car market!

[2flags]

That looks amazing!! You certainly do like to experience all types of cars! Well bought sir. Cannot wait for the write up!

[N Dentressangle]

Brilliant that you're actually going to use this.

Someone where my wife works in Gloucester actually commutes in their Austin 7 Ruby (I've seen it in the car park!). I would deffo do the same if I didn't have to piss about with the M5.

Does anyone else think 'Danny The Champion Of The World' when they see these? 😉

[GingerNuttz]

Always wanted one of these so I could put something modern under it, hilarious to hump boy racers in an old Austin.

[Matty]

1 hour ago, N Dentressangle said:

Brilliant that you're actually going to use this.

Someone where my wife works in Gloucester actually commutes in their Austin 7 Ruby (I've seen it in the car park!). I would deffo do the same if I didn't have to piss about with the M5.

Does anyone else think 'Danny The Champion Of The World' when they see these? 😉

Loved that book