invacar LightBulbFun's Invacar & general ramble thread, index on page 1, survivors lists on Pages 24/134 & AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12 Restoration from Page 186 onwards, still harping on...

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

oh wow thats one hell of a find! only the second* Invacar Mk11 I have ever seen pictured!  also bonus points for a Routemaster connection by way of the xxxBXL reg Mark (RM1000 was uniquely given 100BXL as its registration mark, its the only RM to have an X multiple location marker)

do you have a link to where you found that? id like to try and find a higher rez version to make out the reg mark of the Invacar, I THINK its xxxTEV but id like to confirm

I did of digging and while I found the original the crop is from

http://www.twixtaireandcalder.org.uk/site/image-detail?imageid=209

the example they give on the website is fairly low rez

and I think your example is from a higher rez crop somewhere else, if I reverse google image search it, google says some facebook pages have 1115×494 versions but the links provided just take me to the home page of the facebook groups google says it found the image in, rather then take me to the post in said facebook group it found the image in, so trying to find the image among a million and 1 photos posted to the group would be a mammoth task

*well technically 3rd picture but the very first picture was posted to this thread and then nuked by the member who posted it before I had a chance/foresight to save it sadly

[warren t claim]

I'm not sure where I stole it from. If I was to guess then I'd say the British roadscenes fb page but I could be wrong. 

[warren t claim]

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=150339030990052&set=g.496289463761461

[warren t claim]

I'm guessing 414TEV.

[warren t claim]

[warren t claim]

Are these rare then? I do remember seeing a fair few ragtop raspberry runabouts when I was growing up in the 70s.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=150339030990052&set=g.496289463761461

 

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

I'm guessing 414TEV.

 

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

ah awesome! many thanks for that! defo xxxTEV which is good to know, gives me a jumping off point when I get round to the Essex archives  and that gives me vital information on nailing down when Mk12 production started since xxxTEV was issued in March 1960, that tells us that Mk12 production must of started later on in the year (I know the Mk12 was introduced in 1960 but I dont know when in the year that was, so this very much helps narrow it down)

previous to that I had 668SVW as my latest Mk11 from ~Jan 1960 (I sadly dont recall what the reg of the first one I saw that got nuked)

  which you can see in the quoted post bellow  (along with examples of Invacar Mk10's and Mk10A's)

On 23/10/2020 at 12:17, LightBulbFun said:

On 23/10/2020 at 08:22, egg said:

More

https://www.macearchive.org/films/midland-montage-11011962-here-and-there

And

https://www.macearchive.org/films/atv-today-30091977-invalid-car-protest

Bloody hell! I had seen the other ones you had linked and thought I had scoped out all the invalid car content from the website

but clearly not, thats an Invacar Mk11! very few detailed pictures like that even exist of one 

it also answers the question I had here, on production dates, as xxxSVW was issued starting Jan 1960, so tells me the April 1959 production end date I have must be for the Invacar Mk10A, and it also tells me that Invacar Mk11 production continued right until Mk12 was introduced with no gap in between, does make me wonder when exactly the Mk12 was introduced in 1960

this also tells me then that 338NPU is an Invacar Mk10A, and not an Invacar Mk11

On 09/09/2020 at 13:05, LightBulbFun said:

check out this neat shot of a colour street scene featuring an Invacar Mk10A or Mk11  

(I know its not Mk10, so it must be a 10A or 11 but I have not seen a 10A or 11 from the rear and im not 100% sure on the production dates of the 10A or 11 sadly I have a date of April 1959, but I dont know if thats when the 10A was discontinued and the 11 introduced until the Mk12 was introduced in 1960, or if April 1959 is when the Mk11 ended production and Invacar geared up then released the Mk12 in 1960?)

https://flic.kr/p/2jDoRGN

 

 

and for comparison sake here is the front of an Invacar Mk10

and an Invacar Mk10A

 

 

1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

Are these rare then? I do remember seeing a fair few ragtop raspberry runabouts when I was growing up in the 70s.

the Invacar Mk11? incredibly so!, only about 500 where produced 

the Metal bodied Invacar (Invacar Mk10 Mk10A Mk11) is the only generation/type of Invacar where there are no known surviving examples sadly and even just pictures of them in period are very rare

only 1500 of all types where produced, the closest thing to a known survivor is a Scale model prototype in the Greeves collection

 

the floppy top invalid vehicles you remember from your childhood where likely Tippen Delta's and AC Acedes maybe a Barrett Midget if your neighbour was under 4ft 6

a few survive today, but like all Villiers/Electric machines survivors are pretty scarce sadly

 

The AC Acedes Model 57 (and also the AC Model 64 the electric variant which looked identical to Acedes for the most part)

 

Tippen Delta (Model 59 in petrol form and Model 69E in Electric form)

and finally the Barrett Midget Model 60, these where very rare, even in period, only ever produced for special cases, but I have include it since they where produced late enough to be in your childhood, and being a distinctive metallic green I figured would be memorable if indeed you did see one  

Invalid vehicles where generally replaced on a 7 year cycle, so its unlikely what you saw where any sort of floppy top Invacar, although its not impossible of course

after the Invacar Mk11, came the Invacar Mk12 which where all hard tops

and just for completeness sake, before the Full bodied Invacar Mk10 came the Canvas bodied Invacar Mk8

 

[warren t claim]

The ones I remember had a Reliant Regal type front end.

[LightBulbFun]

Just now, warren t claim said:

The ones I remember had a Reliant Regal type front end.

then what you saw where probably Reliant Regals! early ones where floppy tops  

but no invalid vehicle had a reliant regal front end so if thats what they had then it was just Reliants you saw

[warren t claim]

Nope! I think it was one of those Tippen things.

[LightBulbFun]

13 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Nope! I think it was one of those Tippen things.

perhaps then your thinking of a Tippen Delta 8?  

which could be said to have later Regal-esk square head lamp surrounds, (although still very much a uniquely Frank Tippen And Sons design hence why I initially thought you had been seeing early floppy top regals when you said regal front end!)

heres a nifty period photo showing the difference in frontal design of a Delta 8 and a Delta 5  (the Delta 6 and 7 looked the same as the 5 but had 12 inch wheels)

[warren t claim]

OVC475H is pretty much period correct for my chldhood.

[warren t claim]

Any interest in period conversions to regular cars? I used to have old copies of Autocar that had adverts for them done by a company called  Wilsons IIRC.

[LightBulbFun]

22 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

OVC475H is pretty much period correct for my chldhood.

makes sense! Tippen Delta's where pretty common then, they where part of the Big 3, AC, Invacar and Frank Tippen & Sons, where the Ministries big 3 favourite companies

later on the Tippen Delta became the Electric vehicle of choice to replace ageing  Model 44 1950's Stanley Argsons, and even after production of the Tippen Delta ended in 1970, over 500 Petrol Tippen Delta's where rebuilt to Electric Model 69E specification machines between 1970 and 1978 by Fred Miller Ltd

hence HCK972N for example  being special case machines a few did survive into the 1980s-2000s along with a  few 1950's Stanley Argsons!

in the 1980's there where still 50 or so 1950's electric Argsons in Ministry service which is pretty damn impressive!

 

the Argson was supposed to be replaced by the electric, AC Model 64, but users where unhappy with its relatively bulky size compared their trusty Stanley Argson, which could keep out of the way of normal road traffic, so the Ministry was forced to develop an Electric version of the Tippen Delta, as the Delta was the narrowest machine the ministry had on hand  

electric machines where designed for people with very severe  disabilities, and only had a top speed of about 12Mph, and thus where used much like how a mobility scooter is today, and so users wanted a small machine that could be used such and not something saloon car like the Model 64 was

(although over 2000 Model 64's where produced and issued by the ministry all the way from 1958 to 1972 so they did find their niche with electric users who did want a full width machine)

I believe the mass conversion of petrol Tippen Delta's to Electric from make them one of the first if not first case of such petrol to electric conversions happening en-mass  

I wonder how many Electric vehicle people know that  

[warren t claim]

Things could've been worse. At least they weren't fitted with kickstart. 

[LightBulbFun]

38 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Any interest in period conversions to regular cars? I used to have old copies of Autocar that had adverts for them done by a company called  Wilsons IIRC.

somewhat, they are a bit outside of my scope/area of interest, but I know a bit about them, Reselco Invalid carriages had the contract from the Ministry for adapting regular cars to adapted controls  

20 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Things could've been worse. At least they weren't fitted with kickstart. 

you joke but early machines had the invalid carriage equivalent of that! a Hand lever you would yank to turn the engine over and fire it up (also as a back up incase the starter motor of your deluxe model packed up!)

[eddyramrod]

On 7/2/2022 at 11:40 PM, eddyramrod said:

I'm up that way on Monday, I'll see if I can find it.

And a month later, I now think I know where it might be: there's a big archive section at the back of the town's Central Library which I think might be it.  Next step is to go in and find out, if I can.  The address upthread looks about right.  Next week (hah) I'll see if I can slip in and find anything out.

[warren t claim]

3 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

And a month later, I now think I know where it might be: there's a big archive section at the back of the town's Central Library which I think might be it.  Next step is to go in and find out, if I can.  The address upthread looks about right.  Next week (hah) I'll see if I can slip in and find anything out.

You're making a rod for your own back!

[eddyramrod]

3 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

You're making a rod for your own back!

I'm good at limbo...

[jamescarruthers]

14 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

and just for completeness sake, before the Full bodied Invacar Mk10 came the Canvas bodied Invacar Mk8

 

My mate’s got an invalid carriage of some sort that looks like that canvas Invacar above. If it is of interest I can probably get some pictures for you. 

[LightBulbFun]

8 minutes ago, jamescarruthers said:

My mate’s got an invalid carriage of some sort that looks like that canvas Invacar above. If it is of interest I can probably get some pictures for you. 

Ooh that would be very much appreciated! heres a picture of an Electric Stanley Argson, these where the most numerous survivors of that generation of invalid carriage, so thats what im expecting it to be, but regardless im still very interest in details  

[Blake's Den]

Hi @LightBulbFun

I was watching Ed China's latest video and there appears to be some form of amphibious invalid carriage which makes a very brief appearance.

About 1m 44s and it's only on screen very briefly. 

Thought that you'd find it interesting and can probably ID it and know it's full history 🙂

[LightBulbFun]

39 minutes ago, Blake's Den said:

Hi @LightBulbFun

I was watching Ed China's latest video and there appears to be some form of amphibious invalid carriage which makes a very brief appearance.

About 1m 44s and it's only on screen very briefly. 

Thought that you'd find it interesting and can probably ID it and know it's full history 🙂

I thought I had made a post on that one! but it looks like I have not!

 

indeed its BT8707, a really bloody early Electric Stanley Argson and the oldest Electric Stanley argson known to still survive (the first Electric Argson was introduced in 1923, this example would be from about 1926 by its reg mark)

sadly I dont think sadly anyone quite realises the historical importance of it and it pains me to see whats become of it

it ran under the name of Tritanic for a while as well (like that 3 wheeler mini based boat looking thing that was doing the rounds some time back)

http://www.storytrender.com/75674/the-unlucky-professor-britains-wackiest-inventor-can-build-anything-apart-from-way-to-meet-his-dream-woman-and-is-looking-for-love/

https://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/12780.the-wackiest-man-in-britain/

if you google the guys name you will find a few more news articles etc on him/his creations

[barrett]

15 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

I thought I had made a post on that one! but it looks like I have not!

 

indeed its BT8707, a really bloody early Electric Stanley Argson and the oldest Electric Stanley argson known to still survive (the first Electric Argson was introduced in 1923, this example would be from about 1926 by its reg mark)

sadly I dont think sadly anyone quite realises the historical importance of it and it pains me to see whats become of it

it ran under the name of Tritanic for a while as well (like that 3 wheeler mini based boat looking thing that was doing the rounds some time back)

That's Lyndon Yorke who made that. He's a massive cunt.

[LightBulbFun]

3 hours ago, barrett said:

That's Lyndon Yorke who made that. He's a massive cunt.

sometimes I love the brutal honesty on this forum I really do  

it might not be "wisest" thing to outright call someone a cunt on a public forum

but I respect having the gall to do so LOL

[High Jetter]

A spade's a spade!

[warren t claim]

So what's this one then?

[Dick Longbridge]

5 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

So what's this one then?

Zodiac?

[warren t claim]

6 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Zodiac?

I thought it was a 101?

[Mally]

On 7/29/2022 at 9:47 PM, LightBulbFun said:

then what you saw where probably Reliant Regals! early ones where floppy tops  

I had one of those Reliants when I was 19.

Aluminium body on a wood frame. 6v electrics.

Mine had an aftermarket fibreglass hardtop.

Different grille to that one and no front bumper on mine.