Do you remember? Feel free to add.

[Richard]

Can you still buy Ring Road Runners? I want a set.

[aled]

Can you still buy Ring Road Runners? I want a set.

 

 

yes you can -we had some in work the other day

[j-j]

Special editions which only had a radio, a side stripe and plastic wheeltrims to distinguish them from standard models.

 

Fiesta Mk3 'Mistral' boggo standard with added WHITE wheel trims regardless of the car being blue!

 

and could conceivably have sex with a 19 year old without it raising any eyebrows.

 

hahaha a 19 Y O Lada

 

Nah, I recall car aerials being bent into amusing shapes when they used to be wire. I definitely recall a 'hand' aerial when I was about 7 and sometimes a zigzag. You'd NEVER see anyone do anything mildly 'comic' to their precious plastic dross now. Mind you, no wire aerials now!

[aled]

garelli concord

 

puch banana bikes

[Guest Leonard Hatred]

Asbestos roofing

[Albert Ross]

You could go to your local tyre place and they'd have a full set of Kelly 5.60x13 Crossplies on the shelf.

Whitewall "flaps" for tyres.

"5-Speed" and "Automatic" badges on new cars.

Hondas that had about eleventy badges on the bootlid. "4WS ALB 5 speed TTFN" etc.

If your neighbour locked his keys in his car, the chances were, your Dad's keys would open it.

Your neighbour driving his car up onto ramps in the street, to change his oil.

Offering a lift to the old lady round the corner, and she accepts, as they had no car.

Everyone in the street helping clear snow so people could get places.

 

"Soundhog" dashboard ornaments. A sort of wheeled pig with a horn for a nose. I DESPERATELY WANT ONE OF THESE! PINK PREFERRED!

 

Going to Halfords for car parts, and they had it on the shelf, and it was cheap!

Lucas bulbs.

Morris' Oils of Shrewsbury. (I still use this stuff though)

A camper van was normally an Ex-GPO van with a mattress lobbed in the back, and a bucket to shit in. For a piss, you nipped behind a hedge.

Blue Spot foglamps, with yellow bulbs.

Raydyot square spotlamps.

Black and Gold "waffle" style numberplates on your mate's Mk3 'Tina. And him getting pulled up every night.....

First drive in your Dad's car while he was at the pub, and not getting a bollocking. I was 14..... Granada 2.3GL on a V.

Fixing the throttle cable on his X plate Volvo 244 on the Hog's back, while waiting for the AA, who tried to charge my Dad for it... as he wasn't there when they got there. 3 hours later! He told them to fuck off and sent his card back. My Dad. Taught me a lot about how to be a misery.

[walk]

12" wheels

 

Stomil tyres

 

Complete fitted exhaust (1 piece) £9.99 including fitting at Charlie Browns for a mk1 Fiesta

 

Buying a clock for dad's mk1 Astra as a Christmas present

 

Cars with optional rear parcel shelf and/or optional passenger visor

 

Floor mounted bulb windscreen washers

 

Ah happy days!

[Formula Autos]

Do you remember......

 

Rear window louvres?

 

OK stickers?

 

Supercover?

 

Steve Martin when he was funny?

[seth]

New cars that were not painted silver.

[warren t claim]

People ordering new cars in brown because it hides the inevitable rust.

[peter9000uk]

Tiger tails

Stainless wheel trims

Steel hubcaps

Rally style door/wing mirrors

Warning Disc brake stickers

Satin Black bonnets

Weller wheels

Vinyl roofs

Whippy fibreglass aerials

Furry seatcovers

Harry Moss Stereos

T-shaped gear lever

Nylon seatcovers

[eddyramrod]

I can remember practically all of the things listed, I must be older than Doctor Who!

 

Attended pump service is still the norm over here, by the way, as is, get this: half-day closing!

 

Oh, and RoStyle wheels?

Certainly sir, how many sets would you like? The Capri was mine until recently, and I see the 1600E most days; it'll be going to a new owner soon and treated to a restoration.

[pompei]

General Grabber tyes, usually on slot mags, with the lettering picked out in white

 

Firestone tyres/remoulds with the lettering picked out in white

 

Chrome exhaust trims

 

Badge bars

 

Bullet hole transfers

 

Stick on reflectors

 

Mudflaps with reflectors

 

Car coats

 

Driving gloves

 

Wing mirrors

 

DIY trailers made from A60 back axles, angle iron and plywood

 

Bits of chain or rubber strips dragging on the floor to stop car sickness

[eddyramrod]

Badge bar, did you say?

 

Wing mirrors, did you say?

 

Two of my current fleet, so I don't have to remember very far! The badge bar has in fact been on other cars for me, notably my black Buick and green Cadillac while I was still in UK. And I bought a bloody lovely pair of wing mirrors for my project A40, from ebay. No, I'm not showing you, wait until it's done (don't worry, I'll be posting!).

[CreepingJesus]

Pete-M said......"A transporter arriving at dad's garage with a brand new Cortina 2000E 'Olympic' and a new, black Granada 3.0 Ghia S manual with aircon."

 

I'm sure the Granada S was a seperate model in the Mk1 range. Uprated shocks, driving lamps and a Capri steering wheel.

 

They really did exist. As a super-special option, if you asked your dealer nicely, and were on good terms. It was only available, I was told, on Capris and Granadas. I was told this by a mate who acquired a Mk2 Granny 2.8i Ghia...with the 'S' pack on it. He's been after one for years, on account of their near-mythical status. He then pointed out a local R-plate Capri 3.0 Ghia...which also had the 'S' pack on it.

Apparently, you got the Billy suspension, bucket seats and other odds and sods, and lost your leather interior, at least on his Granny anyway. According to him, it was a pricey option, because the bits were fitted at SVO (or was it AVO at the time?).

I also swear blind, I saw a Cortina 2.0 Ghia S at an auction, back in the early 90's - I had a fly bid on it, but it was out of my f-all budget pretty quickly!

 

Anyway; I already remembered silicon pennants yesterday, so today, it'll have to be the guys who lit hot rodding up in the 70's: Pip Biddlecombe, Nick Butler and so on. I only needed to see 'Revenge' in the flesh once....

[warren t claim]

Pete-M said......"A transporter arriving at dad's garage with a brand new Cortina 2000E 'Olympic' and a new, black Granada 3.0 Ghia S manual with aircon."

 

I'm sure the Granada S was a seperate model in the Mk1 range. Uprated shocks, driving lamps and a Capri steering wheel.

 

They really did exist. As a super-special option, if you asked your dealer nicely, and were on good terms. It was only available, I was told, on Capris and Granadas. I was told this by a mate who acquired a Mk2 Granny 2.8i Ghia...with the 'S' pack on it. He's been after one for years, on account of their near-mythical status. He then pointed out a local R-plate Capri 3.0 Ghia...which also had the 'S' pack on it.

Apparently, you got the Billy suspension, bucket seats and other odds and sods, and lost your leather interior, at least on his Granny anyway. According to him, it was a pricey option, because the bits were fitted at SVO (or was it AVO at the time?).

I also swear blind, I saw a Cortina 2.0 Ghia S at an auction, back in the early 90's - I had a fly bid on it, but it was out of my f-all budget pretty quickly!

 

Anyway; I already remembered silicon pennants yesterday, so today, it'll have to be the guys who lit hot rodding up in the 70's: Pip Biddlecombe, Nick Butler and so on. I only needed to see 'Revenge' in the flesh once....

 

I know you could get the S Pack on Mk5 Cortinas but not Mk1 Granadas.

[CreepingJesus]

Pete-M said......"A transporter arriving at dad's garage with a brand new Cortina 2000E 'Olympic' and a new, black Granada 3.0 Ghia S manual with aircon."

 

I'm sure the Granada S was a seperate model in the Mk1 range. Uprated shocks, driving lamps and a Capri steering wheel.

 

They really did exist. As a super-special option, if you asked your dealer nicely, and were on good terms. It was only available, I was told, on Capris and Granadas. I was told this by a mate who acquired a Mk2 Granny 2.8i Ghia...with the 'S' pack on it. He's been after one for years, on account of their near-mythical status. He then pointed out a local R-plate Capri 3.0 Ghia...which also had the 'S' pack on it.

Apparently, you got the Billy suspension, bucket seats and other odds and sods, and lost your leather interior, at least on his Granny anyway. According to him, it was a pricey option, because the bits were fitted at SVO (or was it AVO at the time?).

I also swear blind, I saw a Cortina 2.0 Ghia S at an auction, back in the early 90's - I had a fly bid on it, but it was out of my f-all budget pretty quickly!

 

Anyway; I already remembered silicon pennants yesterday, so today, it'll have to be the guys who lit hot rodding up in the 70's: Pip Biddlecombe, Nick Butler and so on. I only needed to see 'Revenge' in the flesh once....

 

I know you could get the S Pack on Mk5 Cortinas but not Mk1 Granadas.

 

Funnily enough, at the time I didn't know about S-pack 'Tina Ghias, and I didn't know about the Grannys until shown one. It would be consistent of Ford to do something like that, tho', wouldn't it? Coming next - the Fiesta Ghia S X-pack option...

On topic: I remember when 'rat look' had more to do with welding up some box section, throwing a Rover V8 in there, and painting it up with Cannon's brush-on/army surplus drab/matt Hammerite. Add some number of Wellers with off-road tyres on, a few skulls, and pretend to be an escapee from Mad Max. That's rat-look.

[Cavcraft]

My (fading) memory of the Cortina Ghia 'S' was a run out model of the Cortina 80's (Mk5) and all I can remember was they had some natty pinstriping along the bottom of the doors.

[ashmicro]

Moss car alarms

 

"Ritz" wheeltrims

 

Stick-on aftermarket heated rear windows, and "Electrocure Conductive Paint" to fix the breaks in them

 

White paint pens for picking out the letters on your tyres

 

East German tyres, which were about 90% vinyl and fucked your wheel balance in 300 yards

 

Beaded seat covers

 

DIY kits for etching your reg number on the car glass

 

"Backflash" rear window stickers

 

Audioline car stereos (these were quite good as I remember)

 

Stick-on coachlines

 

Ring Rally Giant spotlamps

[ashmicro]

You can still find half-day closing on a wednesday in the more rural parts of Scotland.

 

 

It's ALL day Wednesday closing here in Carrickfergus. However, it's a shithole, and there's little worth buying anyway.

[CreepingJesus]

DIY kits for etching your reg number on the car glass

 

My dad used to have a franchise for doing that. He had deals going with the local Volvo, Ford and Skoda dealers! Fun times...

[wuvvum]

Proper milk floats with three wheels and a single headlight, not the dull featureless square boxes you get today.

 

Parcels being delivered by Royal Mail in Leyland EA vans.

[seth]

Shell garage drinking glasses.

[Guest]

Esso Tiger T Shirts.

[Pete-M]

I was guilty of CB radios in the late '80s and occasionally for a month or so every few years since.

 

Some of my cars sported some very silly aerials indeed, and I'd quite often set off the odd house and car alarm on the way past*.

 

I doubt I'm the only one in 'ere who knows what a Cobra 148 GTL-DX Mk2 is, and what it's capable of with a Zetagi 600w RMS burner and decent twig....

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Ok, I admit it, I did it deliberately.

[ashmicro]

Used to be havily into the CB myself, and had a Cobra with sidebands. I too had a Zetagi burner, a gold one rated at 300W. I was giving out TVI a mile away when using my fibreglass Antron aerial. My car aerial was a huge fucker too with a 9 inch magnetic base and a big coil in the base of the whip. IIRC the aerial was called a "Super Masturbator". Or something.

[fotorabia]

1979.Getting Barry Sheens and Stirling Moss 'autograph at Oulton Park aged 12.The Audi Team.

1978.Went to Hamleys Toy Shop and bought a skull mask and machine gun.Created terror alerts in the midst of IRA bombing paranoia.In the back of family Maxi..aiming at a Jag..

1977. Polishing the mags of a Reliant Scimitar for my mums old boss and it fell off the jack.

1976.Mums boss chopping his hand in half and the emergency drive to Ft.William in the 302 Boss Mustang inc. Corran Ferry in about 20 minutes breaking the local record.

1975.My Mums Mini Van.We put 6 kids and 3 adults to do a Highland camping trip in it.

1974.Islay. School bus was a Sherpa -Whiskey Distillery mini bus.My Grandads V12 E-type Roadster which I spent hrs just sitting in it when he came for fishing.

1973.Jumbo Jets between Aussie and London.Airports included Sydney Auckland Nandi Honolulu LA Toronto London Manila Calcutta Hong Kong etc.Member of the Junior Jet Club.BOAC

1972.Aussie Falcon utes..my Mum broke her neck in a horse throwing accident..and I was more interested by the Merc Finny ambulance that showed up

1971.Dads green Austin 1100.Helping out the next owner broken down..hed put red seats in it..and later killed himself in it.

Dad attending to a VW Type 3 fastback that crashed into a tree at the end of our drive.

Going on a Sunday sail outing..the leading car..new Jag 420G colliding with a flock of 1000 sheep.Bob the farmer..he killed 50.I just remember lotsa gore and lotsa white..

[flat4alfa]

.

Milk Floats whirrrr-kerchink-kerchinking by, before dawn.

 

A Bedford HA Van in every street. A Chevanne in every other street.

 

The Post Office man came to fit your new Trim'phone.

 

Forgetting the local Library did a half-day-closing on a Wednesday and your Mum going batty because she'd gone to all the trouble of parking the car. Right outside. For free.

 

'Gercha' songs about Courage Best.

 

A Blankety Blank Chequebook and Pen seemed an impressive prize.

 

Janeycam and Topless Darts. Oops skipped two decades there.

 

Sunday Rugby transmitting live from Cardiff Arms Park well after the thick fog had decended.

 

Cat Detector Vans.

[warren t claim]

Mid sized family saloons available with 1300 engines and two doors.

 

Never thinking about having to change a cambelt.

 

Krooklocks!

 

Drilling a hole in your rear wing to to fit your Sparkright alarm.

 

Riding in the boot area of an estate.

[Richard]

Some of my cars sported some very silly aerials indeed, and I'd quite often set off the odd house and car alarm on the way past*.

 

*Ok, I admit it, I did it deliberately.

 

I discovered this while I was driving taxis in St Andrews during the 1995 Open. It never happened before that for some reason. I definitely didn't do it deliberately though, nor did I try to "accidentally" bump the cars that were parked obstructively because the owners were too tight to use the free park and ride.