mercrocker Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 Had a run up to Luton on Saturday for a mate's 60th. A rocking night was had by all, we stayed up overnight and called in at Hedsor, near Bourne End, Bucks on the way home where there was a car show going on. Cracking weather, cracking weekend and 250 miles with the Cowley which coped admirably with the heat on the short stretches of M1, M25, M40 and M3 in between pleasant country meandering. I would have taken lots more pictures at Hedsor but it was too hot to wait around for mongs who were playing human statue near anything interesting or arseing about having their own photo taken gurning in front of various vehicles. Honestly. Either my already truncated tether is rapidly running out or people are simply becoming more gormlessly ego-centric in their endeavours to force their grim countenance onto all and sundry. Right, rant over....What did I bother my arse manage to point my camera at? Right, there was this....Rather nice Mk3 non-full capacity engined Capri. And another in Mk1 flavour. Rong bonnet on a four pot of this age, I think. Colour isn't original either. No matter, I just photographed this to share on here as it is still rather Noice. XLR should come with black rear panel and (flat) bonnet but these were delete options. These don't pull a classic car tag in my mental library, but they are certainly seldom seen nowadays. Always quite liked the look of them, though.... Bite-size Yank...... Baur loveliness.... Caught this one as it escaped. I tried a couple of times to get it when it was parked up but it was continually accompanied by Wankers spouting Wank about Wankels. This was bloody lovely and filed under "Shite Which I Should Have Bought When They Were a Tenner" or something.... Do Not Paint, American style....Actually I found it a bit contrived with its conspicuously over-done Klear Kote so maybe I Would Paint. This lovely Wolseley followed us for a bit as we left. I wanted it to have had a Winkworth bell on it so I could have driven comically through the village in the Cowley like some Ealing film... This needed a few Embassy packets and a Daily Mirror folded up on the dashtop. Strike that, nobody needs a Daily Mirror. This looked interesting and sounded nice coming in... Wonder what was under the bonnet? Oh. OK. One of those. Charlie Hungerford turned up in his Shadow.... Looks good enough to eat, that, Charlie. What's it like inside? Mmmmm, Werthers.... Do Not Paint. UK version. Really rather liked this, dents and all. Smelled nice inside, too. Can't show you the smell, but you can have a look... And if I ever have an MGA, its going to look like this... Speaking of MG, MGBs seemed conspicuous by their absence. Or maybe I have just stopped seeing them. There was, however, more than one but less than three MGCs. Including this appropriately registered roadster... Sharing the MGC honours as well as the inexplicable fetish for Minilites was this GT.... It had this badge..... My ageing memory databank tells me that this was some kind of run-out special on the part of University Motors to shift what had quickly become a bit of a floor-sitter in the BMC sports car range. The non-standard paint finish - and possibly those Minilites - was probably part of the package which no doubt included things like a wooden gear knob, map light and a matching umbrella or some such tosh. Lastly, the car that I would most like to have pottered across to Henley in and partaken of a cream tea. If only because it would have matched the colour scheme..... The weekend's jaunt was completed with a fine sighting of the Battle of Britain Flight passing over the Flywheel event at Bicester which we passed on the way up and the magnificent spottage (un-camera ready unfortunately) of an enthusiastically-driven BMW 3.0CS just outside Marlow on the way home. lesapandre, RayMK, johngarty and 15 others 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squire_Dawson Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 If I could take one home it would be the Velox without a doubt. mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vulgalour Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 That Velox wouldn't look out of place on an Australian farm, which is probably where it came from rather than being a UK survivor. One of the best looking cars of its era and one of the best looking Vauxhalls ever built. Asimo and mercrocker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayMK Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 I'd have the Ro80, especially if it had a V4 rather than whirring triangles. mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johngarty Posted June 24, 2018 Share Posted June 24, 2018 That Transit......phoaaar BorniteIdentity and mercrocker 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaseracer Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Why are so many classics customised with big wheels and the contents of Halfords circa 1962? Is it a thing now? I'm no originality fetishist (obviously...) but what's wrong with factory wheels, etc. etc. (contd p.94) PS: +eleventybillion on the Velox mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Great pictures and commentary! Liking those mid 60s Sceptres/Minx even more since Barratt's recent thread. And of course any American car from 50s to early 60s is delicious. The bonnet bulge on Mk I Capris was fitted on the 3 litre version I seem to recall. mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 <GOM> Why are so many classics customised with big wheels and the contents of Halfords circa 1962? Is it a thing now? I'm no originality fetishist (obviously...) but what's wrong with factory wheels, etc. etc. (contd p.94) </GOM> PS: +eleventybillion on the Velox There was a Varitone Magnette there on gloss black wire wheels. Totally out of keeping and when the ZA/ZB came with those lovely vented rims which are so much a part of the car it just makes me wonder.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 The bonnet bulge on Mk I Capris was fitted on the 3 litre version I seem to recall. That's how I remember it, then I think the whole range got it on the first facelift. chaseracer 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lesapandre Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 There was a Varitone Magnette there on gloss black wire wheels. Totally out of keeping and when the ZA/ZB came with those lovely vented rims which are so much a part of the car it just makes me wonder....Great car the Magnette - killed off in a BMC rationalisation before its time - was still selling quite well and replaced by a Farina derivative which was just an Austin Cambridge under the skin with lever dampers etc. Enthusiasts must have cried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 . Enthusiasts must have cried. They did. lesapandre and chaseracer 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I'd have the Ro80, especially if it had a V4 rather than whirring triangles.OK, (that is my favourite colour for an Ro80) but I'll take that NSU Wankel in the green Transit please, just to keep the Universe in harmony. (Not a V4 hater, always fancied an Essex V4 in my Minor) mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asimo Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Great car the Magnette - killed off in a BMC rationalisation before its time - was still selling quite well and replaced by a Farina derivative which was just an Austin Cambridge under the skin with lever dampers etc. Enthusiasts must have cried. I once had a Farina Magnette. Every bad thing said about them is True. mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercrocker Posted June 25, 2018 Author Share Posted June 25, 2018 A bit far to go but I find the many French car shows very civilised. They are all listed in La Vie de L'Auto magazine. Nice people no yobs about usually. Yeah, I have done a few in my rambling days and found them to be nice affairs full of enthusiastic owners....Like to be back home for tea nowadays! I suppose it didn't help yesterday that the social club bar had some sort of ball game on one of those television things. lesapandre 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiperCub Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I'd have the Ro80, especially if it had a V4 rather than whirring triangles. Reminds me of a show some years ago where I was stood in earshot of this jack-off grandstanding away with wisdom about Wankel engines while admiring the Ro80 which was idling away. His engrossing speech expounding the joys of the rotary engine was only interrupted by the NSU's owner dryly replying: "It's running a Ford V4 conversion mate, the original Wankel unit shat itself years ago" Exit expert - stage right, hat, coat, door. Laugh?............ Yes, everyone in earshot did actually. Also: I too find the whole clear-coated/'Do-not-paint'/Patina innit mate thing has recently been getting a bit contrived/hipster/faux-cool and all somewhat too Try-Hard for my tastes. Loved the MGA though. mercrocker, RayMK and chaseracer 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaseracer Posted June 25, 2018 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Also: I too find the whole clear-coated/'Do-not-paint'/Patina innit mate thing has recently been getting a bit contrived/hipster/faux-cool and all somewhat too Try-Hard for my tastes. Loved the MGA though. The MGA and the Velox each told a story. The Plymouth was merely vandalised... mercrocker 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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