Al's spotting thread

[Talbot]

On 29/05/2025 at 00:11, adw1977 said:

Stanwell is also north of the Thames.

Then it isn't in Surrey.  One or other of those locations is wrong.

[adw1977]

6 hours ago, Talbot said:

Then it isn't in Surrey.  One or other of those locations is wrong.

Stanwell is in Surrey. Historically part of Middlesex, but that county was abolished 60 years ago and Surrey was expanded to include an area north of the Thames that now forms the borough of Spelthorne, including Stanwell.

[Talbot]

So how is stanwell in north london then?  Surrey is very much south london. I R confuse.

[adw1977]

Stanwell is not in London at all, but it is north of the Thames, which runs significantly further south at that point that it does in central London.

[Metal Guru]

5 hours ago, Talbot said:

So how is stanwell in north london then?  Surrey is very much south london. I R confuse.

North of the Thames is not the same as North London. Places like Chelsea, Kensington and Wimbledon , all with SW postcodes , are north of the Thames.   The further west you go the more it heads SW until it turns NW towards Oxford.

[danthecapriman]

I’ve always considered it to be London anywhere inside the M25!😄 a ‘no go’ area for me!

[adw1977]

There's quite a lot of places inside the M25 but outside Greater London.

There's also a small area of Greater London outside the M25:

(Greater London boundary shown in red)

[adw1977]

I could rename this thread to "Al's home counties geography discussion thread" but instead I'll go back to posting some pictures of cars!

659. 1982 VW Polo

Seen in Outwood, Surrey. Lack of MOT history suggests it's been off the road since at least 2007.

JLG 716Y
✓ SORN
MOT - No results returned

Vehicle make VOLKSWAGEN
Date of first registration 1 August 1982
Year of manufacture 1982
Cylinder capacity 1050 cc
Fuel type PETROL
Export marker No
Vehicle status SORN
Vehicle colour YELLOW

Number of keepers: 3
No MOT history

 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

16 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

I could rename this thread to "Al's home counties geography discussion thread" but instead I'll go back to posting some pictures of cars!

659. 1982 VW Polo

Seen in Outwood, Surrey. Lack of MOT history suggests it's been off the road since at least 2007.

JLG 716Y
✓ SORN
MOT - No results returned

Vehicle make VOLKSWAGEN
Date of first registration 1 August 1982
Year of manufacture 1982
Cylinder capacity 1050 cc
Fuel type PETROL
Export marker No
Vehicle status SORN
Vehicle colour YELLOW

Number of keepers: 3
No MOT history

 

That's a really early Breadvan. Colour looks to be the same yellow used on the mk1 Polo hatch, too - not sure I've ever seen a breadvan in that shade. 

I try not to say it too often, but it needs saving...

[danthecapriman]

7 minutes ago, Dick Cheeseburger said:

That's a really early Breadvan. Colour looks to be the same yellow used on the mk1 Polo hatch, too - not sure I've ever seen a breadvan in that shade. 

I try not to say it too often, but it needs saving...

It actually looks pretty tidy too. Sills look ok and still body coloured etc.

Werent the first Breadvan Polo’s on X plates? I’m sure I remember a pale green one around yonks ago on an X. It stood out because it looked weird with such an old plate on.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

5 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

It actually looks pretty tidy too. Sills look ok and still body coloured etc.

Werent the first Breadvan Polo’s on X plates? I’m sure I remember a pale green one around yonks ago on an X. It stood out because it looked weird with such an old plate on.

Not sure... my old mk1 hatch was an 81 on a W - there were plenty of W plates around back in the day. I remember a Y plate breadvan used to live up the hill from my parents place back in the 80s. 

[adw1977]

There are a few X reg Mark 2 Polos, it was launched in October 1981.

This one did look pretty clean, although I could only see it from a distance.  It's on a farm so possibly still in use around the farm.

[danthecapriman]

Just found this road test article featuring an X plated mk2.

The green one I mentioned above was this colour green but heavily faded.

 

[adw1977]

This one?

MOB708X on Flickr

Colour is Lido Green, apparently.

[danthecapriman]

19 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

This one?

MOB708X on Flickr

Colour is Lido Green, apparently.

It could very well be that one I used to see. The photographer I definitely know for sure was around in the area I used to live as he spotted one of my cars once!