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...

[Mrcento]

I'm not convinced they are changing hands at all. I sadly think a great number of survivors are just sitting around either awaiting a restoration that'll never happen, or just yet more sitting around. A shame.

 

A quick look at Instagram suggests that's not the case, i think (aside from yours...probably the most "famous" on there) there's been 3 of 4 sold in the last few months. Certainly been folk posting their new purchase/project to come.

[dollywobbler]

Ok. Maybe I'm just not in the clique. It generally feels a pretty isolated world apart from Zel!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I was idly looking at a Moggie on eBay recently, when I noticed that the seller had a pair of Invacars as his profile picture. I can't believe I'm getting drawn into this; however, I thought it apt to ask about them.

This is what he said. Don't know if they are cars which have been on your radar during your internet digging...

 

 

[Mrcento]

Ok. Maybe I'm just not in the clique. It generally feels a pretty isolated world apart from Zel!

 

Haha, i think you're probably one of the ones who managed to get one outwith the clique.....

 

Good news though, you meet the entry requirements if you ever wish to join them

[LightBulbFun]

I think its a combination of both sadly, and very much so it seems to be a case of people buying them then letting them sit, also very much a case of just trying to find one let alone the money side of things LOL

 

out of purely archival reasons do you have links to those 3 or 4 that sold recently?

 

(its not a case of "oh is that so? show me then" im just genuinely curious so i can keep track of them all )

 

 

I was idly looking at a Moggie on eBay recently, when I noticed that the seller had a pair of Invacars as his profile picture. I can't believe I'm getting drawn into this; however, I thought it apt to ask about them.
This is what he said. Don't know if they are cars which have been on your radar during your internet digging...

Screenshot_20190203-222047_eBay.jpg

Screenshot_20190203-222059_eBay.jpg

 

Page 13 post 365    (its how I came across the moggie I posted in the ebay tat thread) I cant actually recall how I came across the seller in question however...

 

but thank you very much for alerting me about it on the off chance I had not come across them

 

its nice to know people here will let me know if something pops up on their own radar

 

and thank you for enquiring about them, its good to know what became of them

 

quick edit: did some more sleuthing earlier and it looks like the person who found that Model 70 above in the bushes, LPL791P, did actually post about it here on autoshite at the time http://autoshite.com/topic/1554-ac-invacars/ sadly he does not look to have been active for a number of years

[LightBulbFun]

one for MorrisItalSLX

 

 

he posted about this one in DWs thread but did not have a good picture of it http://autoshite.com/topic/29975-dollywobblers-invacar-award-winning/page-49?do=findComment&comment=1407913 but just now I stumbled across a slightly better one 

 

its a Model 67 thats some how survived and made its way all the way to Australia  http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2018/03/

 

its the only Model 67 iv seen that looks to be in running order (I wonder if the doors came off another car or a Model 70 going by how they are a different shade of blue compared to the rest of the car   it has the wing mirror off a Model 70 im pretty sure, Model 67s had Round wing mirrors normally from what I have seen)

 

just noticed this one doesn't have the classic mould lines down the front that Model 67s have (I wonder if thats just something they got rid of late in the Model 67 production run or theres something special about this Model 67?)

 

its a shame its not wearing its original reg

 

 

also came across the Same Model 70 in service in London in 2 pictures taken by different people I think, what are the chances of that  I wonder if theres any pictures of TPA or TWC in service somewhere...

 

 

https://deskgram.net/p/1616347123467790751_3489122883

 

and 

 

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1974ish_Invacar_in_London.jpg

 

[quicksilver]

Got to love your passion for the Invacar LBF and I hope you can make your dream come true. Re WPF607G I wonder if it was a prototype Model 70? Maybe it started life as a 67 but was rebuilt by AC as a testbed for the 70, which would explain the early registration madness.

[LightBulbFun]

Thanks that is something iv been wondering about, but I dont really know anyone I can ask sadly, it is worth noting that It does have a Model 67 wing mirror

 

on this page is supposedly a picture of a Prototype Model 70 http://www.virtualgaz.com/invacarpage.htm but sadly the picture is very low rez and theres hardly any information given about it... (1968 does line up with WPD607G however) but its worth noting the "prototype Model 70" pictured does not have wheel arches

 

 

 

heres a picture of a period picture of a  Model 67 for reference

 

 

(this is one of the things that makes the passion both fun and frustrating for me, theres so little information out there about invalid carriages, you properly have to hunt high and low for it, and its very rewarding when you do discover a new survivor or new piece of information )

[LightBulbFun]

Got to love your passion for the Invacar LBF and I hope you can make your dream come true. Re WPF607G I wonder if it was a prototype Model 70? Maybe it started life as a 67 but was rebuilt by AC as a testbed for the 70, which would explain the early registration madness.

 

quick post, just noticed your the one who does the rusty old rubbish blog

 

while I dont actively read your blog, I have read a few of your articles including the invacar ones of course (I came across your blog via my invacar sleuthing), and throughly enjoyed the one about the Metrocab

 

(I remember Metrocabs from my childhood as that other weird "normal looking" London Taxi, dont think I ever rode in one sadly, I always seem to remember them having a faded indicator or 2 for some reason, I say normal. because they looked more modern and as such more like the cars surrounding it at the time, compared to the FX4 which was of a 1950s design so stood out from the sea of modern cars)

[LightBulbFun]

just came across another surviving Model 70 , sadly I dont know the details on this one other than its SORN (with no MOTs)

 

I found it here https://www.gumtree.com/p/transport-stuff-wanted/wanted-ac-thundersley-invacar-model-70-steyr-puch-mobility-disabled-disability-70-s/1328179355

 

this guy seems to have a good stash of Model 70 pictures, and he sometimes posts fresh ones when he puts up a new wanted advert

 

 

 

this also gives you a good idea on how they get towed around I imagine (I know someone was asking about that a few pages back)

 

its reg is VES108S for those wondering (its a bit hard to see in the Photos) curiously ES suffix seems to be a Scottish one...

[MorrisItalSLX]

one for MorrisItalSLX

 

IMG_8982.JPG

 

he posted about this one in DWs thread but did not have a good picture of it http://autoshite.com/topic/29975-dollywobblers-invacar-award-winning/page-49?do=findComment&comment=1407913 but just now I stumbled across a slightly better one

 

its a Model 67 thats some how survived and made its way all the way to Australia http://heinkelscooter.blogspot.com/2018/03/

 

its the only Model 67 iv seen that looks to be in running order (I wonder if the doors came off another car or a Model 70 going by how they are a different shade of blue compared to the rest of the car it has the wing mirror off a Model 70 im pretty sure, Model 67s had Round wing mirrors normally from what I have seen)

 

just noticed this one doesn't have the classic mould lines down the front that Model 67s have (I wonder if thats just something they got rid of late in the Model 67 production run or theres something special about this Model 67?)

 

its a shame its not wearing its original reg

That’s the one! It’s at Charlie’s Auto Museum in Arthurs Seat near Melbourne.

 

I hadn’t realised it was a Model 67, that being said, I visited that museum before the “Invacar Uprising” so had no idea what it was at all! Charlie has a thing for fibreglass 3 wheelers as he as a couple Bond Bugs and some other Reliants. It’s a fantastic museum with a huge variety of cars and related memorabilia with a lovely cafe, well worth the visit.

[LightBulbFun]

very cool stuff ill keep it in mind if I ever find myself down under

 

 

todays a "special" date as it marks exactly 1 year since I left this comment on Zels first invacar video and it all went "downhill" from there 

 

 

(if im reading Zels posts in his thread he plans to pick up the fuel tank for TPA today, it would be cool if TPA is able to go for her first drive round the block for the first time in 18 years, on the anniversary of KPLs first start )

[egg]

LBF!!

 

I couldn't bear it any longer, I called the WA Frost breakers in Norfolk.

 

There is an Invacar there. It is in a very bad state he says, doesn't even know if there is an engine in it - his exact words are 'don't get too excited', but it does at least seem to be for sale (at least he didn't say it wasn't).

 

Back story - the old boy told me he took 23 of them off the road at the time of the scrappage (he said 20 years ago), probably 2003. All were crushed HOWEVER, this one came in later separately, and he kept it.

 

Man, you need someone in the Norwich area to go and at least look mate!

[LightBulbFun]

LBF!!

 

I couldn't bear it any longer, I called the WA Frost breakers in Norfolk.

 

There is an Invacar there. It is in a very bad state he says, doesn't even know if there is an engine in it - his exact words are 'don't get too excited', but it does at least seem to be for sale (at least he didn't say it wasn't).

 

Back story - the old boy told me he took 23 of them off the road at the time of the scrappage (he said 20 years ago), probably 2003. All were crushed HOWEVER, this one came in later separately, and he kept it.

 

Man, you need someone in the Norwich area to go and at least look mate!

 

very cool stuff! thank you very much for calling them

 

(ironically I was planning to call them tomorrowish as that is when my dentist appointment is and when I plan to get credit for my phone  )

 

very cool to hear they have an invacar, I think ill give them a call still see if I can get any more details on it maybe ask if they can email me some pictures? (its probably a Model 70 but always worth verifying )

 

I wonder what in a bad state means, if its just mechanically bad or if its missing most of its body work like KPL is

 

sadly I dont know anyone in norwich (at least im not aware of anyone)

 

but if someone here lives there and could go have a look for me that would be epic!

[egg]

I would try Wuvvum, I shouldn't nominate people for something I wouldn't do myself, but he is a Norfolk lad. There will be others I'm sure if you just put it in the thread title.

[egg]

I'm thinking at the very least possible spares for Zel and DW, at worst!

[LightBulbFun]

yeah ill give a em a call first see if I can get any more details from them

 

and yeah thats what im also thinking regarding spares, any invacar I can find these days no matter how badly damaged is worth finding and saving 

[egg]

Cool, I said I was calling on behalf of a friend, so he won't be surprised by another call.

 

He is a bit vague about it though, so I think the best bet is getting someone on site.

 

He said something about it being on a 'ridge' - not sure what he meant by that - but probably means it is tucked away in a corner somewhere...

 

google maps link: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Norton+Subcourse,+Norwich+NR14+6SB/@52.5393014,1.5561697,143m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47d9f83e358c7771:0x8d84a85eea54815b!8m2!3d52.5416719!4d1.5558238

 

Can you spot it?

[egg]

Image is from 2011, but certainly back then when the Google camera went past it was a pretty old school pile 'em up kind of yard.

 

 

 

[LightBulbFun]

Good to know (I was planning on saying something along those lines, so they know its the same person so to speak enquiring, and not that suddenly theres a million people that want their invacar...)

 

I did have a look around on google maps (and again just now with your link) when I came across the site via that facebook message but i aint been able to spot anything, but then again im not very good at spotting invacars from space sadly (I still need to find myself a solid reference)

 

im thinking too yeah that its probably sitting in one of those bushes or such, I doubt they would have it out in the Open taking up space that could be used for more modern things etc

 

(im curious when it arrived after the main batch of 23 came through, if it came from somewhere else, or if the people who sent the main 23, 2 years later noticed they had 1 more sitting in the corner so sent it off for scrap too?)

[egg]

What I think is interesting - is that he remembers exactly how many there were and the process - like other breakers who picked up the Invacar work (including the Sussex lot) it was clearly something that stuck in the memory...

 

I think he went round and collected them. Probably the remaining one was just one that missed the cull - in a garage or deceased owner etc etc - lots of possible reasons.

[Lacquer Peel]

heres one I thought I posted about before but going through this thread I dont think I have

 

so here we go

 

does anyone know what happened to this Model 70?

 

 

P9213518Small.jpg

 

I found it here http://forum.retro-rides.org/thread/20301/abandoned?page=48&scrollTo=664114

 

 

P9213520Small.jpg

 

the sadly now guest user says it has no engine, but it would be good to know what became of it or if its still there (sadly no location info is given)

 

(even if it really does have no engine and is entirely shagged/unsuitable for me, the body work looks to be in relatively good shape, so would be useful for oli or such )

 

and in the end I am just curious about it (as i am when i came across any Model 70 that i dont know about )

 

edit: also came across this rather amusing picture while sluething around retro rides for invacar content

 

99de40f6.jpg

 

I think this Model 70 is the same one dressed up as a dragster that you can see a few pages back

 

http://forum.retro-rides.org/post/774661/thread

The first one was spotted by me, it was north of Wick somewhere. I think I went looking for it again but it was gone.

[LightBulbFun]

What I think is interesting - is that he remembers exactly how many there were and the process - like other breakers who picked up the Invacar work (including the Sussex lot) it was clearly something that stuck in the memory...

 

I think he went round and collected them. Probably the remaining one was just one that missed the cull - in a garage or deceased owner etc etc - lots of possible reasons.

 

thats a good point

 

defo looking forward to having a chat with the chap

 

shame the first 23 got scrapped, would of been amazing if they where still sitting there 

[LightBulbFun]

The first one was spotted by me, it was north of Wick somewhere. I think I went looking for it again but it was gone.

 

Ah cool! shame its gone, I wonder if it was picked up by someone to restore/preserve or if it was carted off for scrap...

 

(what sort of location was it in? was like in a breakers yard or just random bit of shrubbery off some random path?)

[LightBulbFun]

ohh thats very cool, would be awesome to have a read through all that lot

 

(and scan it in all for archival reasons)

 

no doubt the information is out there but sadly I dont have access to your filing cabinet 

 

 

 

had to make an unplanned trip out (Just what my back needs before a trip to the dentist tomorrow... #everythinghurts)

 

but I took the opportunity to top my phone up so now it has some credit , I think it might be a bit late to go calling them, but im not 100% sure on that?

[LightBulbFun]

just when you guys might be thinking (or hoping...) iv run out of invacars to unearth

 

just unearthed this one    (from here https://www.flickr.com/photos/47381765@N04/20656218372/in/photostream/ ) 

 

 

whats worth noting on this one is the fact its taxed and had regular MOTs! nice to see one getting some attention/use (well if you call 50 miles a year, use... its better then most I think sadly, TWC (and TPA hopefully) aside of course )

 

again I wonder what the details are on it...

 

of note is the rear picture, looks like someones done rear apron repairs to it, like what Zel is doing to TPA

 

 

 

also from that flickr link I came across this cool ebay listing of a Model 57 with all the pictures intact, giving you a really good view of the layout of a Model 57

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-Cars-Electric-Car-/331686712203?item=331686712203&ViewItem=&nma=true&si=%252BLm1%252Bp3tX70nXb%252Bs%252F3pyNqUoV4I%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

its an electric one too weirdly enough it comes up as a Trojan?! (theres a ribbed for her pleasure joke in there somewhere) on the DVLA...

 

its interesting to see the much more modern volt gauge someones stuck on the dash. and just in general its very interesting as theres very few detailed photos of invalid carriages in general, let alone anything Pre Model 70

[LightBulbFun]

alright gave em a call finally, and I think it went pretty well 

 

they are going to send me a picture of it

 

(he said its in or on? didn't quite catch that,  a hedge and might be missing some of its body work)

 

so I just asked if he could email me pictures which he seems happy enough to do

 

(saves me having to try and describe a Model 70 over the phone etc, but I did tell him that im specifically looking for a Model 70)

 

so just waiting for pictures

[LightBulbFun]

alright pictures have been received

 

sadly? its not a Model 70 but its an Invacar Mk12

 

 

 

I have some more detailed photos if anyone wants those (it does look to have an engine)

 

they where very kind and nice to deal with, so if anyone wants an Invacar Mk12 to restore theres one in this scrap yard http://www.wafrost.co.uk/

 

 

even though its not what im looking for, thank you to all involved who helped me track it down, and hopefully it can be saved for someone looking for/wanting an Mk12

 

[Datsuncog]

On 2/2/2019 at 1:17 AM, LightBulbFun said:

while on the subject of reg plates and invacars

I read on the RUMCar forums the youngest is a Model 70 built out of spare parts in 1980, in northern Ireland

I wonder what the reg is on that (hell im curious what the VIN plate says in the cabin, since it wont of technically been made by Invacar!)

(I wonder if its the one in the NI museum I posted about a few pages back)

Screenshot 2019-02-02 at 01.08.33.png

http://rumcars.org/forum/index.php?topic=4716.msg37854#msg37854

Damn, I wish I'd read this the other day...

I happened to be at a loose end on Tuesday afternoon and went for a bit of a poke around the Ulster Transport Museum.

It's not very big, the car gallery - the museum's much more geared towards big locos, buses and fire engines. Only 27 cars on display down in the basement, three of which are DeLoreans of some stripe or other.

But I did find this down at one darkened corner:

.

And, according to the adjacent information board, the car dates from 1980.

I'm not certain about the veracity of all the information on these boards, but 1980 seemed a bit late to me. Out of interest, is the Model 70 so-called because it could be configured 70 different ways - or is that just a coincidence?

Now, the registration plate makes no sense at all: this isn't a Northern Ireland registration, and at a guess I'm wondering if it's meant to read 'Roads 1 Three-Wheeler'

But then I had a look at the windscreen, and look what's still glued to it...

WOI 654, which is a Belfast registration from 1980 (I owned a 1980 Ford Cortina from a slightly later plate series, XOI 4276).

Well well - I wonder if this is the 1980 Invacar mentioned on the RUMCar forum post? DVLA tax checker throws up no information for WOI, sadly

Handlebar steering, no pedals, and the VIN plate (just about visible) does seem to have 'AC Cars Ltd' stamped at the top.

There was also a small (and hopelessly out of date) information board behind (may not be very readable):

And it had a pic of another Model 70 - and if it was registered new as UOI 4719, then I think it's a 1979 registration. Hmm.

Possibly NI was slower than the rest of GB in getting adapted 2dr Cortinas available for drivers with disabilities, hence continuing to issue new Model 70s a fair few years after the rest of GB had stopped.

The door handle on the display car was missing and there were no gallery attendants on this floor to ask - cos if I'd known this was something really quite unusual, I would have tried to get a pic of the VIN plate to see if this helps anyone.

But - the museum's not far away, and I'd be happy to go back again in the name of research.

[egg]

alright pictures have been received

 

sadly? its not a Model 70 but its an Invacar Mk12

 

invacar 001.jpg

 

invacar 002.jpg

 

I have some more detailed photos if anyone wants those (it does look to have an engine)

 

they where very kind and nice to deal with, so if anyone wants an Invacar Mk12 to restore theres one in this scrap yard http://www.wafrost.co.uk/

 

 

even though its not what im looking for, thank you to all involved who helped me track it down, and hopefully it can be saved for someone looking for/wanting an Mk12

 

Poor thing! So it is completely missing a door for a start then - not going to be easy to find? Yes please to the other pics! I'm intrigued now. Does it have a Steyr Puch engine? Cos, if so it might still be of use to Wobbler/Zel? I get confused about which car has which engines.

 

Are you 'allowed' to get V5's for Mk12's in the same way as model 70s?