Period accessories - yes or no

[DSdriver]

There is some controversy in Squire Dawsons Humber thread about whether the badges should be removed. I suspect some of those saying they should be removed would be all in favour of dealer stickers, plates and tax disc holders.

So what is your opinion on what is right to keep and which should be killed with fire?

[DSdriver]

I'll start with my DS which has a perfect example of the period accessory, a vinyl roof - very useful on a DS because the roof is fibreglass and never really takes body paint well and tends to be a slightly different shade

A boot full of wine by Jean-Pierre Declemy, on Flickr

[barefoot]

I have a cassette holder in the 944, but I no longer have a player in the dash.

[Tamworthbay]

If they were fitted back in the day I would keep them personally. That DS is gorgeous, the roof looks great.

[Richard]

Period accessories are fine in moderation. Fitting just about every accessory that was available in the car's day looks shit.

[DSdriver]

Period accessories are fine in moderation. Fitting just about every accessory that was available in the car's day looks shit.

Ah.. the Halfords syndrome.

[MarvinsMom]

it is i guess "horses for courses" and down to owner discrestion when it comes to odd bits of tat on old cars.

 

dealer skickers, serek plates and a tax disk -yes they are nice, 

 

but so too are period "AA" or "RAC" badges, they are nice too.

 

in the case of the Squire's Humber, then those badges are in period with the car, and i think have been on the car for alot of years. so, been a sentimental old fool, it would be nice to see them stay with the vehicle.

 

a case in point, both Rodney Mini and Marvin both have period badges on their grills. the balck mini has, we know had this RAC badge for decades, the previous owner, who go the car in 1981-82 said it had the badge on when he got it

and the metro, well i put the AA-Relay badge on, when i got the car, there was a relay sticker in the window, so i thought it was a nice, and unusual addtion to the car

 

some other things i like to see, especially on say, a '50s car are the sun visors that sit above the windscreen, but it is i think a cae that "less is more", i mean, some of the things that you see inflicted on a poor old mini.... the whole scene thnig of roof racks, a tricycle, suit case, and a pineapple, that is, was and forever will be just shit.

[mercrocker]

Accessories are by and large bolt-on items and can be removed by future owners.   I like them, generally speaking.   One of the best things about those 1960s Car Mechanics magazines is that some geezer in Walthamstow would send a grainy photograph in of his Singer Gazelle festooned with crap, sorry, Accessories. 

 

Back when, it was actually rare to see a Mk1 Mini with no add-ons and I used to love seeing Mk2 Zodiacs with whitewalls (sorry JM), twin slash-back aerials, ocelot seat covers and adjustable spotlights on the aftermarket sun-visor.   100Es were often happy hunting grounds for add-on tat as were of course Anglias and there was a considerable industry in the kind of thing.   You could even buy screw on glassfibre tail fins for Renault Dauphines - perhaps a self-tapper too far.

 

I know that the trailer-queen type of exhibit at classic car shows gets a bit wearing with all manner of tack added on but I am talking about street furniture from back in the day, not point-scoring "look-at-me" types in club fleeces.

 

None of the things I am thinking off - Styla wheel covers, bullet mirrors, tiger tails, external visors etc. should be taken as encouraging the Pineapple fraternity - they can still fuck right off, largely because they do not understand either the vehicles they worship or The Past.

[Jim Bell]

In our house, period accessories are usually cake and tissues.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

The only period accessories in the CX are a couple of (unopened) packs of Gauloises fags.

[timolloyd]

Fitted in period and left on - yes. All part of the car’s story. Fitted retrospectively - each to their own, but need to be careful not to overdo and spoil the original lines.

[Six-cylinder]

Not mine, but found like this recently.

[kinkersaab]

^ THAT IS FANFUCKINGTASTIC ! 

[MarvinsMom]

these also got left on the black mini,the after market diy fitted reversing lamps.

the previous, previous owner we think fitted them and when the lad i bought the car off had the paint done, he decided to leave them on.

 

well, his dad talked him into leaving them on, Ryan had originally planned on binning them, but, those lights are glass, and marked LUCAS, and so they stayed on the car.

 

which as we cannot get the friggin' switch in the gearchange mechanism set right, so that the lights come on only when the car is in reverse, and not, as currently when in 4th AND reverse, i'm getting close to either cutting the wire/taking the bulbs out/smashing the while friggin' lot hulk style......

 

still, its a period thing, so nice to look at with the keys out, even if it don't work properly (just like the rest of that damn car!)

 

[John F]

I just used a switch on the dash to activate the "reversing lamp" I fitted to my old Series 3 Lightweight Land Rover.

[PiperCub]

I say yes but agree with the 'Less in more' concept. When someone overdoes it, it just looks shit and like the result of an explosion in halfrauds circa 1975. 

[DSdriver]

I just used a switch on the dash to activate the "reversing lamp" I fitted to my old Series 3 Lightweight Land Rover.

Still legal as long as it has a warning light

[PhilA]

Psh, that's fine. I recall back in the day cars going down the street with reversing lights stuck on.

 

Phil

[GeordieInExile]

My missus' car has a tampon dispenser.

[Noel Tidybeard]

the old flash of white to confirm a Maxi was "going for fifth"

[Squire_Dawson]

I like certain things, as long as they are useful or at least a bit of fun. But you can easily overdo it. I've had to fit things to some of my cars, such as a heater, spot lamp, under bonnet lamp, ammeter &c. Yes you could argue they're not strictly necessary but they make driving more comfortable. My rule is, as long as they can be reversed without trace it's fine. I am not a fan of drilling holes in dashboards and was glad to get my Morris 1000 with its unspoiled dash. Old stickers, transfers and dealer publicity I would never remove.

[SiC]

There is some controversy in Squire Dawsons Humber thread about whether the badges should be removed.

There should be a process to protect bonnet badges like there is a process to make property listed.

[dozeydustman]

If they provide a useful contribution to motoring, then I quite like some period stuff on cars. Marvinsmom's reversing lights or a wire coat hanger aerial in the front wing of a Mk3 cortina I like.

 

Useless tat, period or modern, does nothing for me. Fluffy dice, or chain-link steering wheels, for example.

[Honey Badger]

There should be a process to protect bonnet badges like there is a process to make property listed.

 

All this AA badge tat is about as appealing as a late 60s tower block in concrete so it wouldn't get listed, instead it would rightfully be destroyed with dynamite and fire.

[Bren]

As a serial SD1 owner period accessories are a caulking gun, silicone sealant and a goldfish for each glove box.

[SiC]

I quite like a 60s and 70s tower block! Remember that Victorians found Tudor style as very unfashionable. Also Victorian style was seen to be unfashionable once too. All now very sought after.

[MorrisItalSLX]

I put an AA and an NRMA badge on the Jag.

No nuns or kittens died in the process.

 

 

All the dealer tat was present and has been preserved for future generations.

 

 

But I must admit that I actually like headlamp peaks!

 

*runs and hides*

 

Edit: I also have period stickerage too!

 

 

[Timewaster]

IF (and that's a big IF) I ever get the Spitfire on the road, I plan to get a reproduction Radio Caroline sticker off eBay.

[Asimo]

I don't like accessories. But that's ok because I didn't like them in period either.

[Junkman]

From Squire's Humber Super Dodo thread:
 

But since there seem to be more votes for keeping the badges than removing them, I suggest a compromise like removing the badges and burying them.

 

When the barbaric death penalty was finally abolished not a minute to soon, people were still in favour of it.

Sometimes decisions have to be made against the popular vote.

Hence the popular vote should be shat upon and all badges must be destroyed.

 

Period accessories, my arse hurts.

Like furry dice dangling from the inside mirror of a Nissan Micra, a Dixie flag on the back seat of a Morstin Oxbridge,

whitewalls on a Granada MKII and those stupid bootlid mounted luggage racks on every OMGMGBBYMG.

 

I despair.