Shite at the Vicarage: Riley RMF

[Sham]

I had a 1.0 L - yep, 2 mirrors and rear wash wipe as standard. Mine was in full AS colour scheme too. Beige with brown interior.

I really, really liked it - handled like a go kart, and truly excellent brakes.

[hairnet]

But hang on 

Having one of them now -  the cassock is gone and we call you matron?

[captain_70s]

1 hour ago, The Vicar said:

It was just too small. I am fine in a Micra, Starlet, Polo etc, but the Domino was a class or two below these and proved difficult to live with. 3 cylinder engine, tiny pedals all too close to one another, very little interior room etc. Driving any sort of distance was just a chore. 

I think the Domino is a genuine "kei" class car in Japan? Not many seem to be exported as I think they're generally too small for a Western market.

[grogee]

44 minutes ago, hairnet said:

But hang on 

Having one of them now -  the cassock is gone and we call you matron?

The Lady is not for turning. 

[somewhatfoolish]

3 hours ago, The Vicar said:

Metros were never really very popular in ROI from my own experience/memory, so I’m not very clued up on spec. I always thought L was the lowest spec but was surprised to see a passenger mirror! It never even dawned on me that the rear wiper wasn’t standard on all examples!

No idea about Ireland but the lowest trim level here didn't merit any designation at all; it was just a Metro 1.0 for the bASest bASe misery. @trigger's done some scans which reveal that the misery includes no rear wiper and no passenger door mirror as standard.

[UltraWomble]

1989 and I had this 1.3L already with a tide mark and rusty door bottoms

[High Jetter]

54 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

No idea about Ireland but the lowest trim level here didn't merit any designation at all; it was just a Metro 1.0 for the bASest bASe misery. @trigger's done some scans which reveal that the misery includes no rear wiper and no passenger door mirror as standard.

Yup, rear wiper kits were a slow seller, but Unipart dealers did a roaring trade in n/s mirrors for pov spec Metros and Maestros.

[grogee]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Yup, rear wiper kits were a slow seller, but Unipart dealers did a roaring trade in n/s mirrors for pov spec Metros and Maestros.

I think I saw a semi-universal Unipart cruise control kit for Maestro/Montego, I've always fancied fitting one of those. Did you sell many? 

[GagaStan]

15 hours ago, captain_70s said:

I think the Domino is a genuine "kei" class car in Japan? Not many seem to be exported as I think they're generally too small for a Western market.

Yes, but the export versions got the “big block” engine with a whole 847cc 😂

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, grogee said:

I think I saw a semi-universal Unipart cruise control kit for Maestro/Montego, I've always fancied fitting one of those. Did you sell many? 

I don't recall selling any tbh, not even sure we stocked them. They did exist though;

 

[leafsprung]

Can confirm the basest of base Metro had no rear wipe or passenger mirror. We had one from new (white with black and white houndstooth cloth) which would have been one of the very early ones. For reasons I'm not aware of that was chopped in for a new A reg HLE (A439TAR) . Rear wiper but no passenger mirror. I can clearly remember Dad taking it back to the dealer not long after to have rear belts and mirror fitted. The mirror became a retrospective legal requirement in 1986 for cars used after 1978 (so says Messrs Google). 

[Datsuncog]

17 hours ago, somewhatfoolish said:

No idea about Ireland but the lowest trim level here didn't merit any designation at all.

From the pic posted, it looks to be wearing an Armagh-issued Northern Ireland plate - so most likely will be a UK spec car (though I recall all manner of spiv car broker shenanigans in the mid-80s where you could apparently save money by buying your new car overseas in the EEC and bringing it in as a personal import).

But yes, I thought L was more of a mid-range Metro designation, with Base and City spec below, and HLE, S and HLS above (and Vanden Plas right at the top of the tree, briefly?)

Still, looking forward to this one!

[somewhatfoolish]

3 hours ago, leafsprung said:

Can confirm the basest of base Metro had no rear wipe or passenger mirror. We had one from new (white with black and white houndstooth cloth) which would have been one of the very early ones. For reasons I'm not aware of that was chopped in for a new A reg HLE (A439TAR) . Rear wiper but no passenger mirror. I can clearly remember Dad taking it back to the dealer not long after to have rear belts and mirror fitted. The mirror became a retrospective legal requirement in 1986 for cars used after 1978 (so says Messrs Google). 

That's a particularly perverse bit of cost engineering, the mirror would have cost Longbridge all of £1 or thereabouts.

[Datsuncog]

The cruelty is the point.

[somewhatfoolish]

Misery seen in the wild. Both have two door mirrors. 🤣

[adw1977]

In the UK, by 1987 the L was the middle trim level in a 5 model range (plus MG).

City was the most basic, then City X.

[hairnet]

how dents has the lancia got now?

prego

[The Vicar]

9 minutes ago, hairnet said:

how dents has the lancia got now?

prego

I was surprised to find it still in one piece last week. It’s due for its first service very soon

[The Vicar]

Anyway, finally got the Metro into the garage:

A couple of jobs to be done, starting with cleaning out the tank and carb (not making the same mistake I made with the Domino), and just as well I did:

Running really well now and the engine came up nice:

 I was pleasantly surprised to see a fairly new looking exhaust under it too, the whole thing:

Next up is a quick adjustment to the brakes and a deep clean inside:

 

[grogee]

10 minutes ago, The Vicar said:

quick adjustment to the brakes

Weird square bolt on the back drums? 

[FakeConcern]

11 minutes ago, grogee said:

Weird square bolt on the back drums? 

Isn't it the adjuster the same as on a Mini? I still have a spanner for that!

[grogee]

I love how there's so many ebay chancers who describe their rusting POS as a 'timewarp'... 

Looking at this I'm taken straight back to working in a garage as a teenager and servicing loads of Mum Metros. I can clearly remember hooking one up to the COMPUTERIZED ignition tune thing... Big blue thing with an oscilloscope. 

It looks so tidy! How has it survived so well, has it been kept in a living room? 

[The Vicar]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

I love how there's so many ebay chancers who describe their rusting POS as a 'timewarp'... 

Looking at this I'm taken straight back to working in a garage as a teenager and servicing loads of Mum Metros. I can clearly remember hooking one up to the COMPUTERIZED ignition tune thing... Big blue thing with an oscilloscope. 

It looks so tidy! How has it survived so well, has it been kept in a living room? 

I bought it out of a yard from a trader (from whom I have bought a Senator and a Strada in the past) and it came with very little history so unfortunately I don’t know much about it’s past. If I remember correctly there are only 2 previous owners on the logbook, so it has obviously been in long term ownership at one stage, and no doubt tucked away somewhere. 

[grogee]

10 minutes ago, The Vicar said:

I bought it out of a yard from a trader (from whom I have bought a Senator and a Strada in the past) and it came with very little history so unfortunately I don’t know much about it’s past. If I remember correctly there are only 2 previous owners on the logbook, so it has obviously been in long term ownership at one stage, and no doubt tucked away somewhere. 

Strada? 

Is this traders' name Dr Who? 

[hairnet]

1 hour ago, The Vicar said:

(from whom I have bought a Senator and a Strada in the past)  

*more input [/jonny5]

[The Vicar]

21 hours ago, hairnet said:

*more input [/jonny5]

Unfortunately I never really got anywhere with either car - a few months after buying them (as a pair) I was moved to London and not long after, Rome. The Senator has since been restored but I never heard anything more about the Strada. 

The Opel was a gorgeous car. The first owner/driver was apparently the CEO of Opel Ireland 

[The Vicar]

I'm not neglecting the Metro, but this really tickles my fancy:

https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/skoda-foreman-estate/37864958

 

[hairnet]

On 06/09/2024 at 20:20, The Vicar said:

 

The Opel was a gorgeous car. The first owner/driver was apparently the CEO of Opel Ireland 

friends father was in charge of the concession for opel 20 years before the senator

 

[2flags]

3 hours ago, The Vicar said:

I'm not neglecting the Metro, but this really tickles my fancy:

https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/skoda-foreman-estate/37864958

 

Had one of these many years ago. Quite a good, honest little car. No frills, but it did what it said on the tin. 

[Minimad5]

Never really given a Metro much thought, but damn your example looks like a good'un.
What sort of pennies do these fetch ?