Vin's Screen Grabs (Update 30/12/16) - Akenfield (Suffolk, 1974)

[barrett]

This is an incredible update!

 

The 'brain hemorrhage' is actually called the MoBi One and was at one point part of the Mike Wilsdon collection. Period images of it are VERY rare indeed so knowing it exists on this bit of film is a bit of a scoop!

The red thing with the unusual front axle looks to me like an Alexis trials car, but it could be a homebuilt effort too, they all look like much of a muchness to me. Either way, another fascinating vehicle to feature on film. I'd LOVE to see the whole thing, how can I go about seeing this footage???

[barrett]

Well, someone had to do it. All those cars and the only one still with us is the Sherpa coupe, and even that isn't on the road...

 

 

FUO400D

Sunbeam Alpine

Date of Liability 01 06 1983

Date of First Registration 15 03 1966

 

PGH14E

MGB

Date of Liability 01 05 2012

Date of First Registration 10 05 1967

On SORN

 

20KO

(Ford special) is now on a 1987 Sierra RS Cosworth, on SORN

 

SS3

(mini) is now on a 1992 Jaguar Sovereign, also on SORN

 

26PE

(Porsche 356) is now on a Vauxhall Astra

 

MON 1

(Porsche 911) is now on a Nissan Almera

 

SW13

(Audi) is now on a 1921 De Dion Bouton

 

Nothing found for the works Escort, the Rover P6, the Aston DB6, UVB652, the Camber/Maya GT, white and blue Imps or NSU

[Vin]

This is an incredible update!

 

The 'brain hemorrhage' is actually called the MoBi One and was at one point part of the Mike Wilsdon collection. Period images of it are VERY rare indeed so knowing it exists on this bit of film is a bit of a scoop!

The red thing with the unusual front axle looks to me like an Alexis trials car, but it could be a homebuilt effort too, they all look like much of a muchness to me. Either way, another fascinating vehicle to feature on film. I'd LOVE to see the whole thing, how can I go about seeing this footage???

 

Great Stuff Barrett

 

I had a feeling you might have some knowledge of the specials in the film.

 

As regards seeing the film, it might be out there to download - but it is on disc 1 of 'The BTF Collection Vol 7 - The Age of the Train'

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/British-Transpo ... sim_d_h__4

[Vin]

Well, someone had to do it. All those cars and the only one still with us is the Sherpa coupe, and even that isn't on the road...

 

SW13

(Audi) is now on a 1921 De Dion Bouton

 

 

This number is actually 'SM 13' - It's not that clear in the screen grab, as the Audi doesn't stop at any point on the carflat.

 

Cartell says SM 13 is on a Toyota Yaris DVLA says it's 2005, and silver

[barrett]

How depressing... I wonder if any of those numbers are owned by the same people (or the same family, at least) and have just been passed onto each car they've owned?

 

BTW I just emailed Jeroen, hopefully he'll find this as interesting as I have...

[trigger]

This is fantastic stuff Vin!, I'd love any of those cars featured!

[Vin]

An episode of 'Look at Life' called 'Down in the Dumps'.

 

Made in September 1965 the film highlights the problems caused by the dumping of old cars and fly tipping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Demonstration of a new mobile car crusher...

 

 

The first victim is a pre-war Buick Century I suppose it was worth the square root of fuck all in 1965, but still...

 

 

[warren t claim]

Amazing!

[DSdriver]

noooooooooo

 

[TimothyClaypole]

Fascinating and heart breaking at the same time.

[Alexg]

Thank you for all the hard work in posting these great shots. Totally superb! This is what Autoshite is about...

[Lord Sterling]

Hey, nice one Vin, thanks for putting these up. Interesting to see an era when dumping your car at the side of the road without tax/MOT/UInsurance etc... wasnt much of a problem and men were proud to have hair.

[trigger]

That Buick is a gutting sight

 

Top thread BTW Vin, I can't believe how clear your pictures are, mine aren't that good, I've just ordered a new PC so I'm hoping mine will improve.

[Jon]

Hey Trigg, I reckon the quality of the images is more down to the film stock used and also the subsequent preservation of it - film is essentially a 'High Def' format, after all. Programmes like The Sweeney always looked crap whenever I saw them, albeit 20 years after they were made, so it's hard to say which was worse - the film stock or the degredation.

 

Another thumbs up from me too Vin, these last two subjects are particularly interesting - I think the glorious technicolour helps make them so enjoyable but it's interesting to note how colourful the (man-made) scenery is - not a silver car in sight. Hardly any of the cars seem that worthy of scrapping, certainly on a structural note anyway - I suppose it's due to their relative worthlessness coupled with the MOT introduced a few years earlier.

[trigger]

That's interesting, I agree it was never that clear on my tele and that's HD as well as the DVD player, but when i played films on my computer it's very judderly and poor hence why i thought it much be the PC.

[RedSparrow]

I've just spent ages pouring over these, thanks so much for putting them up.

Seems strange seeing mountains of 30s 40s 50s stuff piled up in a scrap yard. I wonder how Environmental health would react to the petrol and matches method of disposing of a car's interior?!

[eddyramrod]

 

Apart from being a 1953 Packard, this could almost be a back street in Paphos or Limassol.

 

I had to scroll hastily past that Buick going in the crusher. I might still cry yet...

[barrett]

Hey Trigg, I reckon the quality of the images is more down to the film stock used and also the subsequent preservation of it - film is essentially a 'High Def' format, after all. Programmes like The Sweeney always looked crap whenever I saw them, albeit 20 years after they were made, so it's hard to say which was worse - the film stock or the degredation.

 

The Sweeney (+ other stuff) footage has been transferred to video for the endless TV re-runs starting in the '90s, then cleaned up a little and put onto DVD, so the source material isn't exactly ideal quality wise. I couldn't say how it looked first time round but I always got the impression it was shot fairly quickly on cheap equipment so it was probably never great to begin with. Personally I think the grainy look suits those kind of shows whether it was intended to be like that or not. I'd imagine stuff like the Motorail & Dumping films were shown a couple of times and then stored away somewhere unused for 40 years. The stuff released on DVD will be taken from the original prints I'd say.

[mattblack]

Important health and safety advice... if you're gas axe-ing an old lorry to bits, always wear a freshly laundered white shirt and the correct grade of Brylcream.

 

Those shots are all pant-spaffingly brilliant BTW, thank you!

[Autoplas]

These are fabluss!! Thanks, Vin, for taking the time to share them.

 

Couple of personal observations:

 

Even cars that are just 4 or 5 years old look shagged! Factoid: In the seventies, the average lifespan of a car was only 11 years.

 

Secondly, Britain in 1981 looked a shit-hole.

 

I can remember the East End & Docklands looking exactly like this in the 70s and 80s as a child/teenager and made a fair few trips there coming from Essex

 

There are a lot of things in this country that have changed for the worse, but a lot that has changed for the better. I can remember my grandad telling me all about how the docklands used to teem with ships and people but by the 1970s even as a nipper it was a bleak, depressing place. You are right about the cars boobydoo they all look knackered and dreary LOL

 

Love that Mk2 Escort Panda Car though - lovely !!!!

 

Final thought, people complain about hoodies etc these days but as a kid I can remember being absolutely ****Ing terrified of skinheads like the one in the picture !!!!

 

Brilliant thread Vin !!!!!

[DSdriver]

Factoid: In the seventies, the average lifespan of a car was only 11 years.

 

Has this changed then?

 

I too would like to add my thanks VIN, I was always fascinated by abandoned cars as a kid, and, a bit like the WW2 bomb sites that they used to get dumped in, they all seem to have disappeared without us noticing. We didn't even get to put a preservation order on the last one.

[AnthonyG]

Funny that the established way of getting rid of non metal materials in the car was just to set it on fire!

[morris_ital_lover]

Out of interest... where would one be able to get a copy of down in the dumps? It seems like it could be of slightly related extra-shite activities to me (/modelling).

 

That Buick being killed is pretty hard to take... I wonder whether they crushed them with their engines in situ as these days they seem to rip them out in an unceremonious fashon before killing them.

 

m0rris

[Vin]

Out of interest... where would one be able to get a copy of down in the dumps? It seems like it could be of slightly related extra-shite activities to me (/modelling).

 

m0rris

 

Down in the Dumps is one of 54 transport related flims available on this DVD - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003 ... d_i=468294

[Vin]

For this update, the screen grabs are from another BTF production.

 

This film is called 'Give your car a holiday'. It is 18 minutes long and was made by the BTF in 1967. Like all the BTF productions it is a beautifully shot film, of what to some (certainly not me though) would be a mundane subject - The British Rail motorail and ferry services to the Continent and Ireland. It also has a good commentary by Raymond Baxter and a jazzy music score to boot. Lovely.

 

The majoritory of the images are of old motors, but there will be screen shots that I'll include as I think they are interesting.

 

 

Loading up the ferry at Gourock.

 

 

The Beetle has just been spun round on a turntable to get it pointing in the right direction

 

 

Fiat 850

 

 

Spinning a Bedford CA on the turntable

 

 

I'm not sure were this sequence is. It might be Holyhead.

 

 

Channel Ferries are next.

 

 

 

 

More Ferries to come. Motorail section next.

[ashmicro]

TOP STUFF! There were stacks of old motors lying around the forest near here when I was a ween. In those days (late 70's) my family didn't even have A camera, much less a digital one, more's the pity.

 

As Trig said, those screengrabs are very good quality.

[Vin]

Give your car a holiday.

 

The next bit is the section of the film about Motorail.

 

 

 

 

These units are/were known as a Cartic4. They didn't last long on Motorail as they were regarded as impractical compared to a carflat.

 

 

 

 

Welcome to Perth.

 

 

I assume, due to the yellow headlights, they are returning from the continent.

 

 

 

 

That's it for Motorail, back to the ferries next.

[Vin]

Give your car a holiday. PART 3.

 

Back on the Ferries.

 

 

 

 

The film ends with everybody settling down for the night on the Motorail, with the end credits rolling over some lovely filmwork of the sun setting over the Consul Cortina

 

[garethj]

I'm a bit late to this thread, but it's awesome - thank you!

 

I love the idea of putting your car on a train; maybe because the idea of driving your A30 several hundred miles is akin to suggesting you drive it to Mars. Got any film of an Airbridge? Driving your car inside a cronky old plane is solid gold shite.

[DSdriver]

I wonder how much of that stuff on roofracks actually made it to the destination. I can remember as a kid all our clothes in our cardboard suitcases getting absolutely soaked on the roof of Dad's Renault Dauphine when it poured with rain.

Great stuff - keep up the good work