Dick Longbridge Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I wonder what the story was? Such good looking old barges. https://www.derbyshiretimes.co.uk/news/people/derbyshire-car-museums-plea-for-public-help-solving-motoring-mystery-3990519 Shite Ron, goosey, ProgRocker and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I like the idea of it being Bully's star prize. Better than a speed boat at any rate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wibble Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I saw this story today too. Always loved these and would be great to know the truth of how it came to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyarddog Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 I know the prizes on Bullseye were a bit on the shit side,but I don't think they'd even get away with a car last made in '78 on a programme that started in '81🤣 Low Horatio gearbox, adw1977, Wibble and 7 others 3 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 Definitely not a Bully's star prize car. I wrote this feature on Bullseye cars and this was too early to be on the show. Why not check if the odometer is bust to start with? I'll bet it is. Then it's just another old car previously owned by a pensioner, as cold as that sounds. Love the colour! UltraWomble, ProgRocker, privatewire and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 19 minutes ago, motorpunk said: Why not check if the odometer is bust to start with? I'll bet it is. Then it's just another old car previously owned by a pensioner, as cold as that sounds. Nope. The interior says it all. "The pristine and as-new 1974 Vauxhall Victor FE, which is reported to have been saved by someone else who removed it from the rotting garage the original owner stored it in, has recently arrived at The Great British Car Journey in Ambergate with less than 100 miles on the clock, and the low mileage is attracting the most interest, so officials at the attraction have gone out to the public using social media to try and get more information. The car was discovered following the death of the owner - a Mr. Milner who bought the car in the Summer of 1974 from Mercury Garage in Ilkeston. Six years later, it was taken to Derby to undergo rustproofing treatment after which it is thought that the car was never driven again and merely stored away. After arriving in Ambergate, a raft of spare parts, a Haynes manual and seven empty fuel containers were found in the boot of the vehicle, but have been left exactly as they were found. The social media post about the car attracted a variety of responses, one suggesting that the fuel crisis of the 70s peaked around the time the car was purchased, and the owner may have considered that he could not afford to run it due to prices having remained high and to await them coming back down again, whilst another wondered whether the owner had been on extended military service so didn't use the vehicle for that reason. Explaining its continuing pristine condition, Richard Felkin, who discovered the Vauxhall in storage, said that all chrome and light fittings had been removed and stored in the car whilst what couldn't be removed was covered in order to protect it." motorpunk, eddyramrod and Split_Pin 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 danthecapriman, privatewire, Wibble and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sierraman Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 I’m guessing it would be something like he’d bought the car then was ill and couldn’t drive for a period, laid it up but then never got round to driving again. There was definitely intent at some point to come back to it with him taking such care to store the trim. Could have very easily gone the other way if the garage had leaked, they’d be bringing it out on a shovel. bunglebus 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bren Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Surprised it lasted well in that garage. Low Horatio gearbox 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goosey Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 Reminds me of that old couple I read about in Classic Ford Magazine years ago who bought a brand new 280 Ford Capri as an investment, drove it home and put it in the garage and never used again. Around 2004 the car was recovered from the Garage, taken to a Ford Main Dealer ( the dealer that supplied the car originally) for a service and a clean, the Capri was then driven back to the couple’s home and put back in the rebuilt garage to never be used again. think the mileage had just turned over to 15 this was in a 2004 edition of Classic Ford I have no idea what happened to the Capri Low Horatio gearbox, Dick Longbridge, AnnoyingPentium and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
De Selby Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 3 hours ago, sierraman said: I’m guessing it would be something like he’d bought the car then was ill and couldn’t drive for a period, laid it up but then never got round to driving again. There was definitely intent at some point to come back to it with him taking such care to store the trim. Could have very easily gone the other way if the garage had leaked, they’d be bringing it out on a shovel. Either that or the guy had some kind of hoarding issue; the condition of the garage and the "seven empty fuel containers" makes me wonder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barefoot Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 The Mr Milner in this story was actually John Milner. He much preferred driving his '32 Ford coupe, 'I get way more poontang in my rod' as he used to say. Which is why the Vauxhall remained hidden away. bunglebus, Low Horatio gearbox, horriblemercedes and 4 others 2 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 One way or another it's a lovely find, you wouldn't think it would be so good even at that mileage, unless the garage was exceptionally dry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniMinorMk3 Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 John was his cousin who lived in California eddyramrod 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popsicle Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 A man claiming to know the owner has added a few more details to the mystery. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-64555453 bunglebus, Datsuncog, goosey and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymous user Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Who was the chap on here who bought a low mileage Vauxhall and then used it as his daily for a while? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiC Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Who is it on here that works at The Great British Car Journey? I can't remember the username. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shite Ron Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 14 minutes ago, anonymous user said: Who was the chap on here who bought a low mileage Vauxhall and then used it as his daily for a while? Was it @Dippy? anonymous user 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Split_Pin Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 What a lovely find nonetheless and its where it belongs in a museum for others to appreciate. I really hope that the 86 miles is genuine. All of the rather bizarre evidence certainly suggests it is. BorniteIdentity 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dippy Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 31 minutes ago, Shite Ron said: Was it @Dippy? Guilty, I took a 4000 mile car in almost perfect condition sold my Audi A6 and went back to driving old cars everyday. I used it for everything I would have used the Audi for over nearly 2 years and it never broke down. I did have to hit the starter motor a couple of times and a couple of small jobs, rear brake cylinders and new exhaust and that was it. Took it to 16000 miles and strangely it wasn't the winter that caused any damage but the summer sun on the velour and dash trims which started to fade. I used it to go quoting jobs for my business and Im sure I got more jobs as it proved a good ice breaker when turning up somewhere new. Matty, mat_the_cat, AnnoyingPentium and 12 others 14 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorniteIdentity Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 3 minutes ago, Dippy said: Guilty, I took a 4000 mile car in almost perfect condition sold my Audi A6 and went back to driving old cars everyday. I used it for everything I would have used the Audi for over nearly 2 years and it never broke down. I did have to hit the starter motor a couple of times and a couple of small jobs, rear brake cylinders and new exhaust and that was it. Took it to 16000 miles and strangely it wasn't the winter that caused any damage but the summer sun on the velour and dash trims which started to fade. I used it to go quoting jobs for my business and Im sure I got more jobs as it proved a good ice breaker when turning up somewhere new. Pics or gtfo ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dippy Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 4 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said: Pics or gtfo ! Banger Kenny, Isopon, AnnoyingPentium and 27 others 28 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorniteIdentity Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 God Damn. Woooof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dippy Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Those are pics not long before I sold it and started using the Princess. I loved the Vauxhall but it had a manual box and I prefer autos. The Princess was bought to take over from the Vauxhall but a big change in my life and job meant I was working from home and needed something big to tow with and a big loading area so I sold the Vauxhall, kept the Princess just for fun and bought this for towing as you can never have too many V8s. privatewire, eddyramrod and goosey 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 17 minutes ago, Dippy said: Class. What became of it? Tucked away in someone's collection, surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popsicle Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 25 minutes ago, Dippy said: Thats a beauty. privatewire, Stanky, mat_the_cat and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HillmanImp Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 I'll have mentioned this before no doubt but these always look crossed eyed to me. I find the styling at the front a bit unsettling for some reason. I'm not sure why? Is it the light and indicator being in a surround together or the size of the indicator? mat_the_cat and ETCHY 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieman Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 5 hours ago, HillmanImp said: I'll have mentioned this before no doubt but these always look crossed eyed to me. I find the styling at the front a bit unsettling for some reason. I'm not sure why? Is it the light and indicator being in a surround together or the size of the indicator? I will now never un-see that. Asimo, Eyersey1234, HillmanImp and 1 other 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timolloyd Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 9 hours ago, HillmanImp said: I'll have mentioned this before no doubt but these always look crossed eyed to me. I find the styling at the front a bit unsettling for some reason. I'm not sure why? Is it the light and indicator being in a surround together or the size of the indicator? Definitely the fact the lights are squished together. Always reminds me of this child. HillmanImp 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 12 hours ago, HillmanImp said: I'll have mentioned this before no doubt but these always look crossed eyed to me. I find the styling at the front a bit unsettling for some reason. I'm not sure why? Is it the light and indicator being in a surround together or the size of the indicator? Agreed. I prefer the FD especially a Ventora like wot I had. Quad headlights for the win. HillmanImp and Matty 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now