The Streets of San FranPaphos

[eddyramrod]

Actually, on the flip side, the Greek Cypriots scared the crap out of me on a regular basis ...

How those chaps managed to pilot those Merc taxis round the snow covered mountain roads without going off the edge I'll never know....

 

I was about to say "nice to know some things don't change" but then it struck me that this is something that really needs to change! Sadly it hasn't, and I'm here what, 25 years later? I brought back a rental from the airport last summer, and the image of the E320 taxi roaring past me on a blind bend, on the wrong side of the road, in failing light is one that will stay with me. I do hope his passengers killed him. From observation, at any time of day or year there is likely to be a maximum of ONE sober driver on Cypriot roads. And right now he's on Autoshite, posting about it.

[gtd2000]

That might be worse than Florida..

 

When I first moved over here, back in 2001, from Hong Kong, where I'd been riding my GSX-R for years, I thought about getting myself another motorcycle for pottering around "of an evening". In HK the (mainly) Chinese drivers were predictably bad but not normally drunk. So as long as you went with the flow and assumed they'd pull out on you at every occasion you were fine..

 

I can still remember clearly the "red-neck" idiot so drunk he could not get his keys out of his pocket without leaning at a 45 degree angle against his Ford Pickup...

 

A lot of the people I hung out with at the local pub (Applebees in Lakeland) used to drink all night long then ask for a coffee before hitting the road...I'd offer them lifts home but was always assured they were fine blah blah blah...the truck observation was the final straw.

[eddyramrod]

Let's have some cars, shall we? May seems to have been Volkswagen Beetle Month here. First I was offered this...

Beetles are not my thing, but if I can find it a home, that's good enough. Someone will want it. It's a 1300, from 1969.

A lemon-yellow one has appeared on the main road into town from here, I think it belongs to someone working in one of the big shops. I haven't been able to shoot it yet. However, I think yellow is pretty adequately covered by this one that I saw last week:

...which is a 1303S; windscreen and taillights are the big giveaways. It was parked just off a main road, with nobody around to challenge a bloke in an old Granada, taking pics... and the keys were in!

So last weekend we had a rally round here, and when I went to photograph the cars this one cruised past.

I've met it before, it belongs to a Cypriot lady of advancing years. She's had it for a long time, from almost new I think, and drives it daily.

Then we had a car club event, at which we welcomed cars from other clubs. Yes, Cyprus is big enough to have several classic-car clubs! Two of the guest cars were these...

...and here's the older one a bit closer. Really cute.

[Lukas]

I´ve been on Cyprus the last week and drove almost 1000km from my Hotel in Limassol all around the south coast, into the mountains and so on. I thought the people in Cyprus are quite disciplined at driving, most of them drove slowly for austrian standards and overtaking wasn´t a problem too. I was very impressed with driving in Cyprus. Nice roads too, even in the mountains.

[andrew e]

Spotted this one 6/7 years ago:

 

 

Does it live still?

[eddyramrod]

I was very impressed with driving in Cyprus. Nice roads too, even in the mountains.

 

Are you sure it was the same island???? Seriously, why didn't you PM me, we could have said hello! Limassol isn't that far from me, in fact my Granada (and Capri before it) came from there.

 

Andrew, I'll ask. Can you remember where and when you saw it? Approximately will do.

[andrew e]

This one has some clues Eddy!

 

 

http://i51.tinypic.com/258qd07.jpg

[eddyramrod]

Aha, the 23 at the start of the phone number points to Ayia Napa side... OK, leave it with me, I'll see what I can find out.

[maxustaxus]

Thanks for the pictures Eddy, I saw a type 43(C2) Audi 100 driving around Paphos last year, I don't suppose you know the owner?

 

(I love Paphos...and stay there every year)

[eddyramrod]

Well say hello next time, Maxus! I've always got time for a 'Shiter... As for the Audi, sorry, as far as I know I don't know anyone with an Audi 100, at least not on the road. I do know there are a couple about, but not very many...

[eddyramrod]

Time for a few more pics, and we can start with that lemon Beetle I promised you...

Looks like it's fresh from a bit of restoration.

After a Beetle, how about Minis? BMW, are you listening? (Are they bollocks...) This is what a Mini Clubman looks like, you tossers:

And this is a Mini saloon. Note where the capitals are! NOT all the way through the name!

Back to VW now, with a Golf Cabrio that's been lying unloved on waste ground for some time, but was recently moved because of building work...

All the tyres are not merely flat, but lacerated, presumably when it was moved.

Finally tonight, let's have a Bedford CF...

I was actually looking for a Rover 2000 someone had told me about, and found this by chance. It's not far from my house...

[eddyramrod]

Oh yeah, forgot to show you this....

Something different for your wedding, Madam? Certainly! I found it at the roadside, near some designer stores. A diesel Mercedes is pretty normal for this kind of work, but they're usually smaller!

[eddyramrod]

Went over to the east side yesterday to meet some UK friends who were visiting, so here are a few spots from the Larnaca area. First up was a real emergency-stop, handbrake-turn-into-the-car-park moment. I simply didn't expect to see this on the island, at all!

And look where it came from...

It's a 1958 Pontiac Super Chief, RHD! I shot a load of photos, then had to sit in my truck for a few minutes recovering. There was nobody about to ask about it unfortunately.

OK, so I met up with my friends and we had lunch by the beach, then went for a walk. I found this...

Pedigree totally unknown, but I know the odd bike goes down well here...

Then in the car park was this...

Not by any means the only bay-window I've seen here but it did look rather tidy so I thought it was worth a pic.

Then I went for a cruise round town, which involved a lot of back streets and some circling-the-block. Right by the harbour, more V8 gold:

1965 Chevy Impala. I've seen this car before, but not for a while and it's looking a bit sorry for itself now.

On the front of a DIY store:

I've just realised this pic's serial number is 1941 which seems spookily appropriate for a Spitfire!

There were others too, but it wasn't always easy, or even possible, to get a decent angle for a pic. Citroen Dyane, 1976 Mazda 929, loads of Minis, few Minors and Land Rovers... maybe next time.

[gtd2000]

OK, so I met up with my friends and we had lunch by the beach, then went for a walk. I found this...

Pedigree totally unknown, but I know the odd bike goes down well here...

 

It's a Suzuki Intruder, IIRC they used to come in 800cc and 1400cc flavours in the UK from the latter part of the 1980's - could be a different displacement if it's a Japanese market model?

 

Probably one of the first Japanese cruisers you'd actually think about owning from a styling perspective.....

[eddyramrod]

Before the guest star comes on stage, let's see some goodies from around me in Paphos.

Spotted this at a nearby garage, as you can see. I have no idea what they want for it, but it's the only 1964 Ford Galaxie convertible I've seen here, so probably... loads. While I was prowling the closed lot I found this, which might serve as a price guide for the Galaxie...

I've seen this Mk2 before, in fact it's the only other Granada I've seen in use on the whole island. Now it's at the same garage as the Galaxie and looks pretty sorry really. Note the offset rear bumper...! There's a handwritten sign in the back window asking for 10,000 euros. Ten Thousand Euros. Mine must be worth at least five times that, as it's at least five times a better car.

OK, if you've recovered, we'll carry on. I'm a bit unsteady myself after typing those numbers, so we'll go slowly....

Let's go out in the country where it's relaxing, and oh look, a pair of Cortina estates! Mk2 and Mk5, probably replaced by a Mitsubishi pickup now. They do look rather retired.

Back in downtown Paphos now, and here's one for Dollywobbler, right opposite the brand new McDonalds.

 

OK, bring on the guest star...

I found a big yard filled with an assortment of cars... as you can see! It was Sunday afternoon, so nobody about except the guard dogs. Obviously I stayed on my side of the fence. Now forget the w123, look under it: that's a 1980 Buick Century! I had one some years ago and loved it. Once I saw this, I just knew the camera was coming out to play...

Anyone lost a Granada jellymould? Several cars here were on their UK plates.

Look down beside the tanker. Yes, a 1964 Chevy Impala coupe! And the registration number means it's registered here as an "antika" so the tax will be 65% cheaper (helpful when you have a hulking V8 in there!). Same applies to the red Galaxie shown above, by the way.

Some desirable stuff in here! This Capri claims to be a 2.8...

Yes, that's a Scimitar GTE! I think it's the SE5a, but I'm sure we have experts here who can confirm that, or otherwise.

Vauxhall Victor 101 looking quite whole really, with a UK-plated Land Rover. I see all these UK-plated cars and wonder, have they been stolen and never recovered?

The Transit's on UK plates too... but look beyond it! Is that a Mercedes 170 I see before me? And further, a Fiat 124 Spyder?

Hillman Minx, UK Sierra (2.3) and a Lancia Trevi, FFS!

Whew, that was some yard! I need to go back when they're open, obviously.... Trouble is, if I do that, I can see myself becoming the proud owner of something left-hand-drive..................!

 

Elsewhere in Limassol...

Metropolitan was a late import. DC 4 is a 1966-issue number; my A40 is DC 894 so trust me. I could feel the green monster rising within when I spotted this...

Pretty sure this is a 204, I couldn't get a good look at the front but the bonnet didn't look right for a 304.

Must remember to cross-post this on the A30.35 club site! It was just parked at the roadside in a back street.

Across from the A35 was a side road, and as I was shooting, I spotted something pink. Yep, it certainly is pink!

This was just parked on a street corner, I think it's a Toyota from about 1973.

 

Now, a second trip, but we're on the way out of Limassol going home...

Alfa and Wolseley go together, at a village bakery. I spoke to the owner, whose English is very good. As you can see, I was in the Granada so he knew I was serious. He uses the Alfa daily, often looking for narrow side streets (no shortage in Limassol!) so he can listen to it... The Wolseley was his dad's, and he'll never sell it. Good for him!

And finally, in another village on the way back to Paphos, I've been after this for a while: a 1970s Mitsubishi, or possibly Colt. Except the badge on the bonnet says Chrysler!

[AnthonyG]

Some great cars there ERR. The grey '1973 Toyota' is a Mitusbishi Galant of about 73/74 vintage, and the blue Mitsubishi Colt/Lancer may well have been sold as a Chrysler somewhere in the world.

 

In the USA these were sold as Dodge Colts, and in the late 70s Mitsubishi Celestes were sold as Plymouth Arrows, this sort of badge madness continued well into the 1980s in North America. It happened in Australia as well.

[eddyramrod]

Galant? I didn't think it was big enough to be a Galant, but the era is certainly right. I really should have got out and read the badges. I'm aware of the badge crossover, I think we all know the Hunter and Avenger made it to the US as Arrow and Cricket. Was the Hunter ever called Plymouth, or was it always Sunbeam? When I've been over there, I've always kept a lookout for such things.

 

I've had a bunch of Hunters in various flavours, and my friend had a Celeste he really liked.

[AnthonyG]

Hunter was only ever Sunbeam, I think they gave up on selling 'Sunbeam's when the Cricket came in 1971. I have a 1975 copy of the 'Blue Book' (US version of Glasses/CAP guides) and the 1967 Sunbeam Arrow was the lowest value car in there, at $100